There’s a great thread on the Endurance Nation forum right now that has a lot of us, once again, wondering how fast we can get. Typical questions asked… What role does genetics really play? Can hard work overcome physical limitations? Can I run an 18-minute 5k? If so, how many years of training will it take to get me there? Etc, etc…
These questions are frequently followed by someone or several folks telling of dramatic gains over the course of time… Like how one fellow went from a 30-minute 5k to qualifying for Kona in a six or seven year span. Another guy professed to never running for endurance prior to 2004, but through “patient” application of training load, he was able to break a three-hour marathon last year.
While I love reading these stories and am truly happy for those who share them, there’s a flip side to this story as well – the story of those who tried and didn’t get the results they were looking for. Unfortunately this opposing story isn’t frequently told, because most of the folks who would tell it have given up and moved on! Did these guys give up out of impatience? Maybe they set unrealistic expectations and were doomed to failure? Did some of them do the requisite “work” and just not get results due to physical limitations? Of course the answers to these questions are some combination of yes, yes, and yes.
I try to keep a “never say never” attitude, but I’d be a fool to develop some sort of scheme to get myself to a sub-three-hour marathon by year “x.” I used to be that fool! No more fairy tales. At some point over the past two years I turned a corner. There was no distinct epiphany, it’s just happened as an outcome of consistent training, observing, thinking, and living. I’m a slow learner.
So, yes, I’ve stated that getting to Kona is my goal (I’m hardly unique among triathletes!). But I don’t have a distinct road map to get there. The goal is there because striving for it will help me reach my fullest potential. That’s why I love triathlon. It translates well to other aspects of life.
All I can do is control what’s within my grasp. I can work at becoming a faster runner and cyclist. I can work at building the “iron mind” that’s necessary to pull off the goal. Steady, consistent, forward motion. Easier to accomplish when you set an audacious goal! I won’t sacrifice my family or career to get there, either. I only say this because some folks do just that.
I just returned from a business trip to Chicago. It was so very, very cold there and I really wanted to make use of some free time to get a good running load. My goal half marathon is on March 15 and I’m nowhere near where I want to be! I ended up totally trashing my quads by doing back-to-back interval workouts on the hotel treadmill. Saturday was a 4 x 1-mile interval at 10k pace and a 2% incline. It felt great so the next day I did 1-hour at long run pace followed by 20-minutes at my goal half marathon pace. I took Monday off. This morning I woke up with loaded quads. I headed outdoors and ran along Lake Michigan. I felt like there was a parachute tied to my back in that big, windy expanse! Back to my cycling pain cave in the AM...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
No Regrets
What a game, what a game! We had a super time at the AFC Championship last night in Pittsburgh. I'm feeling too lazy to write much of substance tonight, but I'm doing well on my quest to live without regrets. Maybe more on that another time...
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Vive Lance
Lance is back. I’m a fan. I don’t care what other folks think of him. I’m a huge fan. I probably like the fact that he’s such a polarizing figure. Despite professional jealousies & so many trying to poke holes in his character he just keeps on winning. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened for cycling in the U.S. End of argument.
That said, I don’t worship him. He’s an imperfect mortal just like the rest of us. I probably like that about him, too. I finally got to read “his” first book in 2008, “It’s Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life.” http://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-About-Bike-Journey/dp/0425179613.
There are two passages in that book that I love…
In talking about his early career, “I still struggled with impatience at times. I would ride smart for a while, and then backslide. I just couldn’t seem to get it through my head that in order to win I had to ride more slowly at first. It took some time to reconcile myself to the notion that being patient was different from being weak, and that racing strategically didn’t mean giving less than all I had.” So true for all of us, regardless of ability or genetic gifts. Here enters the gap between superior fitness and superior race day execution. It takes BOTH! I, like 99% of other age group endurance athletes, have an overwhelming tendency to focus on fitness, fitness, fitness, and under estimate the importance of race execution.
Here’s another, “There is an unthinking simplicity in something so hard, which is why there’s probably some truth to the idea that all world-class athletes are actually running away from something. Once, someone asked me what pleasure I took in riding for so long. ‘Pleasure?’ I said. ‘I don’t understand the question.’ I didn’t do it for pleasure. I did it for pain.” I’d make an edit, Lance. Remove the words “world-class” and insert “ultra endurance.”
That said, I don’t worship him. He’s an imperfect mortal just like the rest of us. I probably like that about him, too. I finally got to read “his” first book in 2008, “It’s Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life.” http://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-About-Bike-Journey/dp/0425179613.
There are two passages in that book that I love…
In talking about his early career, “I still struggled with impatience at times. I would ride smart for a while, and then backslide. I just couldn’t seem to get it through my head that in order to win I had to ride more slowly at first. It took some time to reconcile myself to the notion that being patient was different from being weak, and that racing strategically didn’t mean giving less than all I had.” So true for all of us, regardless of ability or genetic gifts. Here enters the gap between superior fitness and superior race day execution. It takes BOTH! I, like 99% of other age group endurance athletes, have an overwhelming tendency to focus on fitness, fitness, fitness, and under estimate the importance of race execution.
Here’s another, “There is an unthinking simplicity in something so hard, which is why there’s probably some truth to the idea that all world-class athletes are actually running away from something. Once, someone asked me what pleasure I took in riding for so long. ‘Pleasure?’ I said. ‘I don’t understand the question.’ I didn’t do it for pleasure. I did it for pain.” I’d make an edit, Lance. Remove the words “world-class” and insert “ultra endurance.”
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Energy Management
I’m sucking wind with a stressful start to 2009. It’s so much more than just “the economy.” I probably know too much about the energy industry for my own mental well being. I’m seeing the glass as half empty. We’re (i.e. pretty much the entire global economy) living in a state of denial and it is going to bite us very, very hard. The recession, which is very real, is artificially pushing down the cost of energy commodities right now. Don’t get used to less than $2.00 gas unless we have a very protracted and deep recession.
Another stressor this week was learning that our company’s cost for health insurance will climb another 27% this year. It’s been doing that for a long time now… When will it stop?
Professionally I’m going a little radical and intend on focusing almost all of my division’s efforts toward the energy industry. Our local market is in desperate need of real leadership in the form of soap box preaching. I’m in danger of digressing way off the intent of this blog, so I’ll just stop now.
By the way, we finally launched a new website www.mcclureco.com. It’s not easy explaining in just a couple words what I do for a living. The site says it all. From the main page, click the orange “Design Build” section. Also from the main page click “Energy Solutions” to find the sub domain for that piece of our business. I run both of them (I say "both" but it's actually the same group of folks). The site I about 95% complete. I still need to do some editing.
OK, enough on that. I recently shared my triathlon-related New Years’ resolutions with the Endurance Nation forum. Here’s what I said:
• Deliberately plan recovery.
• Self-reliance on bike maintenance.
• Two epic weeks.
Recovery: Easy to say, hard to do. You gain fitness while resting after hard work. Rest is an essential component of peak fitness. At 41 with an inclination toward atrial fibrillation, I need to take recovery more seriously than I have in the past. Self-coached athletes generally work too hard and recover too little. Patrick was very good at opening my eyes to that reality, but it is still hard to convince yourself that less can be more. I vow to do it this year. I exhausted myself last year… Not good.
Bike maintenance: I’m lazy. I take the bike to the shop without investigating very deeply on my own. I only get good service at the shop 50% of the time. It’s annoying. I need to be more self sufficient. Going to happen in ’09.
Two epic weeks: I’ve seen huge gains from my epic weeks in past years. My fitness increases dramatically. My mind also gets very, very strong. I enjoy using vacation time to challenge myself physically and mentally. I’ll do two weeks this year instead of one. Details will follow some day on this blog. If anyone out there has any interest in some big riding this year, drop me a line.
Another stressor this week was learning that our company’s cost for health insurance will climb another 27% this year. It’s been doing that for a long time now… When will it stop?
Professionally I’m going a little radical and intend on focusing almost all of my division’s efforts toward the energy industry. Our local market is in desperate need of real leadership in the form of soap box preaching. I’m in danger of digressing way off the intent of this blog, so I’ll just stop now.
By the way, we finally launched a new website www.mcclureco.com. It’s not easy explaining in just a couple words what I do for a living. The site says it all. From the main page, click the orange “Design Build” section. Also from the main page click “Energy Solutions” to find the sub domain for that piece of our business. I run both of them (I say "both" but it's actually the same group of folks). The site I about 95% complete. I still need to do some editing.
OK, enough on that. I recently shared my triathlon-related New Years’ resolutions with the Endurance Nation forum. Here’s what I said:
• Deliberately plan recovery.
• Self-reliance on bike maintenance.
• Two epic weeks.
Recovery: Easy to say, hard to do. You gain fitness while resting after hard work. Rest is an essential component of peak fitness. At 41 with an inclination toward atrial fibrillation, I need to take recovery more seriously than I have in the past. Self-coached athletes generally work too hard and recover too little. Patrick was very good at opening my eyes to that reality, but it is still hard to convince yourself that less can be more. I vow to do it this year. I exhausted myself last year… Not good.
Bike maintenance: I’m lazy. I take the bike to the shop without investigating very deeply on my own. I only get good service at the shop 50% of the time. It’s annoying. I need to be more self sufficient. Going to happen in ’09.
Two epic weeks: I’ve seen huge gains from my epic weeks in past years. My fitness increases dramatically. My mind also gets very, very strong. I enjoy using vacation time to challenge myself physically and mentally. I’ll do two weeks this year instead of one. Details will follow some day on this blog. If anyone out there has any interest in some big riding this year, drop me a line.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Years Day Run
An easy 5 mile trot this morning with a few hardy Hempfield Triathlon Club souls. Lousy cell phone photo, but I'm wearing a Penn State football jersey & Stephanie's wearing a "Happy New Year" sign and party streamers. We turned a few heads in our 2F wind chilled weather.
So ends my Endurance Nation Holiday Run Challenge. 48 miles in 8 days. Not extreme mileage, but a good early season strength-builder. I alternated easy days with hard track interval sessions. My speed is actually better than it was in the middle of the summer. No more running for a few days... It's back to the cycling "pain cave" for a little while!
Happy New Year!
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