I just looked at the watch on my wrist and it’s set to 00:00. That can only mean one thing . . . another workout is looming.
At the moment I am sitting in a coffee shop, writing on my computer. It is a casual, comfortable, and easy experience. But soon I will have to get into the water and push myself.
I’ve been putting a lot of effort into a “new” training philosophy. Not new in the revolutionary sense, but new in a “in the moment” sort of way.
Thinking about an Ironman Race Day can steal your soul. It will consume you to the point where everything before it is a blur. The best way to separate from a future event is doing something today that will make that future more pleasant.
It’s like preparing for a final exam.
I used to be the all-night crammer kind of guy. Ignoring the lessons months in advance, trusting an immense, short-term immersion of information the week before my test. Sometimes this worked, but one thing was always constant. That cramming experience threw me out of balance.
I’m learning.
I’m learning that consistent effort and preparation pays off.
I’m learning that repetition is the best learning vehicle.
I’m learning not to obsess over things that aren’t here now.
But it’s hard.
It’s hard because the lure of that shiny medal at the finish line has a way of validating our efforts.
It’s hard because in a strange way it doesn’t seem like the little recovery runs really matter.
It’s hard because having faith is hard.
Setting goals has always been weird to me because I typically focus on the goal instead of what it takes to get there. With Ironman, for example, I tend to compare my training efforts to my race goal. That can be dangerous territory.
The worst strategy in the world is racing an Ironman like it’s a race. It’s a brick by brick build. Stroke by stroke, pedal by pedal, stride by stride. You can’t put up the walls until the foundation is laid.
The same holds for training. I have 17 days left until Ironman Chattanooga, and while that doesn’t seem like much time, there’s a lot of things I can do to improve my race. Little things. Adding a few more bricks to the foundation. Making my weaknesses a little stronger.
The race is coming fast, but there’s really only one thing I need to think about . . . what I’m doing now.
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