The hard look

I have some friends... hard to believe but it's true :-)

They have a purist veiwpoint of training and racing... Sometimes they tick me off... rub me the wrong way... but sometimes... make me take a little bit harder look at myself.... Sometimes make me want to be... despite myself... more like they are.

Sometimes that look was unpleasant...

When I started this endurance sports thing... oh... 15 years ago almost... I thought that I could be good... I was motivated... I liked to train... I figured if I put forth some effort I'd be up near the front in no time...

Well... that was not to be...

I found out that I'm not a natural... or extraordinary when it comes to endurance sports.

So... I figured well... I'm stubborn so I'll go long... I can be good at that just because it's far... and I like to train... I won't quit..

Still... not to be... I was not really that good... successful... MOP to BOP...

I kept going... doing stuff... because I liked it... never getting any great results or improving. This lasted a decade.... I'd gotten older... into my 40s and I figured my best years were over. But I was still out there "doing my best" Oh, I persevered... always put the best I had into the race.. I gave my all.

Then one day I called my beliefs into question... why couldn't I go faster?

And I started analyzing my answers:

1. I'm a big guy - at 5'10" I had been around 215# for a decade or more... that's a lot of weight to carry around... It was a lot of muscle... some extra fat.... but do I have to be this big? No I do not...

2. I avoided training on the weekend mornings because I drank too much... I always had a hangover on Sat and Sun morning... getting a 30 minute workout in on Sunday afternoon to flush out the toxins had been a small victory.... I could train more... and smarter

So even tho I had been out there racing and giving my all... It was simply my all on raceday...

It's like the quote "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."~Juma Ikangaa

I was prepared to give my all on raceday... I was simply half stepping in my preparation....

Well... I have changed... lost 30#... quit drinking... Training harder... riding with the roadies... taken up bike racing.... posted a double handful of PRs.

So thanks to all of you who have made me challenge my beliefs... and challenge myself

It's like this quote from Gordo...

"The path to improvement from each step is simple. However, walking the path is challenging -- that's what makes it rewarding when we improve -- we _know_ how tough it was to overcome ourselves."__Gordo

I think that's all that we are all trying to do... I think we just need to get our perceived limitations out of our way.

I am yet... a work in progress... I am, however, making progress.