Brrrrringing in the New Year

It was in the 30’s this weekend. For our northern friends, this probably qualifies as balmy weather but for a Florida boy it feels like the beginning of the next ice age. The past few days were gray and even some rain fell. It was depressing weather and made the thought of getting outside to do anything very unappealing. How often do outside circumstances dictate our actions and even our attitudes?

This is the time of year for reflection, re-commitment, and resolutions. Resolutions can be fairly accurately described as promises to ourselves that we do not intend to keep. Rather than shoot for the moon and make resolutions that are (choose one or more) 1. unrealistic (“I’m going to win the lottery!”) 2. a source of constant frustration (“I AM going to herd this bunch of cats”)  3. too far in the future to be real (“I’m going to win the Olympic gold medal in fill in the blank in 2016”), how about something a little more down to earth?

I recently watched the movie, Bicycle Dreams, which chronicles the 2005 Race Across America (RAAM). The RAAM is an annual ultracycling event in which participants race from the West Coast to the East. While the race has grown to include various categories, such as team, tandem, relay, etc. the race belongs to the winner of the solo category. To give some perspective on the grueling nature of the RAAM, which has been called the most difficult sporting event in the world, consider the Tour de France. This averages around 2000 miles over 2 weeks with 2 rest days. Riders are in teams with the principal riders on any team surrounded by team mates to protect and draft them. Riders sleep each night in comfortable beds and teams have professional chefs to prepare their meals. Solo riders in the RAAM ride 3000 miles in as little as 8-9 days. The top riders average over 300 miles per day and ride up to 22 hours in a day. There are no overnight stops for those who wish to be competitive. Sleep is optional. Pain and suffering are a given.

You're thinking: down to earth? Are you crazy? No, I am not trying to imply that everyone should resolve to do something like the RAAM in 2013. Far from it. Something like this would strike most people as an ordeal bordering on insanity. For a few, however, that are wired in a peculiar way, it is oddly compelling. There is an innate urge to push oneself to the absolute limit that appeals to certain people. I am one of those. Few of us will every actually do this. No, what I took from the movie was this. In an interview with one of the participants, he recalled his days rowing on a crew on the Charles River in Boston. In the early morning chill, he and his crew team mates weren’t thinking of how each pull of the oars brought them closer or farther from their goal of winning the next meet; they were thinking of a warm, comfortable room and a hot breakfast. Their coach pulled alongside and said, “you are either getting better or you are getting worse; you are definitely not staying the same. It is up to you”. This became the operative theme for his life. For 2013, I plan to make it mine. You might consider making it yours.

At the beginning of each day I intend to ask myself what I can do that day to improve myself in some way. At the end of the day, I hope to be able to honestly say that I have improved in some tangible way. The good thing about this resolution is that it is 1. possible 2. does not rely on anyone else, 3. immediate on a day to day basis. Even better, it allows for occasional failure. There is always the next day to get back on track. Happy New Year!

Florida Ironman 2103 training log:

Between a virus, the cold weather, and the holiday activities, not much got done this week. That’s OK; that’s what holidays are for. The most workout I got was chasing after granddaughter, Emerson, who celebrated her 2^nd birthday yesterday. Today, January 1, 2013, however, marks the first day of my 2013 run up to the Ironman in November. I have to make decisions about how I will train, commit to a program, and do what I can to insure that every day moves me forward. As I noted above, every day I want to look back and feel that I did something to improve. I hope this will apply not only to my ironman training, but to my life in general.

Training summary:

Swim- none

Bike- none

Run- Wednesday: 3.4 mi run with Olivia at slow pace*

         Thursday: 3.4 mi run with David at slow pace*

* the right knee is sore and this is puzzling and troubling. It feels exactly as did when I had severe chondromalacia of the right patella (softening and inflammation of the cartilage behind the knee cap). This is due to poor tracking of the knee cap while running, causing it to rub excessively on the end of the femur (thigh bone). The underlying causes are weak quadriceps muscles, which stabilize the patella and running excessively. I am icing down the knee and taking some ibuprofen. Hopefully, I will quiet this down and it will pass. Odd that it would pop up now, after being dormant for nearly 30 years.