Before we start, I just have to comment about the strapping lad I saw on my way home from work today. Shorts, no shirt, carrying what looked to be a 50+ pound back pack. It’s a nice day here today, sunny, and 40 F (4.4 C)… only in Minnesota, Hooya!
During a typical year of training and racing I typically get my share (a bakers share) of humble pie. It is amazing how the human mind works though, and we so soon forget the bitter sweet flavor of humility. Each serving brings us back down to earth and provides an opportunity to reevaluate and adjust (or not). In my case, even though I do not actively seek out these opportunities, I do look at them as constructive feedback that I try to action.
Yesterday I got my first healthy serving, when on tired legs, I ventured out for my first long (20+ mile) run of the season. Just in time too, since the race season officially starts a week from Saturday (Camp-Wannarunamileormore; half-marathon on 09 April; registration is still open). The long run is in preparation for the Chippewa 50K trail race, 23 April.
It does not really matter whether you are a rookie training for your first 5K or sprint triathlon, or if you are a seasoned vet (like Todd and Scott) training for the ‘All Day for Admission Possible‘, a 100 mile trail run.), or like me, a middle of the packer. You will have opportunities to strap on the ‘Humble Pie’ feedbag and get your fill. The question you need to ask yourself is what will you do when the opportunity arises? Will you use it to reflect and adjust?
For me, this year, late Feburary, I started fantasizing about the upcoming season. I was a couple of months into my ‘throw it in the blender and see what comes out’ approach to training this year. Why not, it had been nearly 5 months since Ironman Wisconsin. It was becoming a distant memory, the pain and challenges of that day had started to fade. My confidence was growing and I was feeling good about my progress (or perceived progress).
Yesterday brought me crashing back to reality as I trudged the last couple of miles (uphill, on my well- planned trek). My hips felt like they were nailed onto my body with rusty nails. I was looking for the Tin Man’s oil can. I tried breathing into my hips, a yoga technique that my Yogi Sara @ LTF has been trying to teach me to no avail. I finished, grimacing and groaning, barely able to walk. I crawled into the house and directly filled the tub with ice water and climbed in.
The good news; today I feel like yesterday’s pain is too now just a distant memory. I had a good active recovery day of yoga, spin, and a short recovery run. The not so good news; 50K on a singletrack trail, in unknown conditions, is a long, long way for me. The anticipation starts to build. I need to reflect and see what lessons I can extract and what adjustments I can make as I finalize my preparation.
“We choose to go…not because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy
