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January 3, 2009
Inspiration
Lately I've been thinking a lot about the quote from Muhaammad Ali:
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."
I like this quote for 2 reasons:
1) I think it's important to remind myself that training, well, it's not very easy. It's not a bunch of roses and smiles and good feelings. Quite the opposite actually. It's hard and tiring and sometimes not fun and even so, I still have to do it. I still have to get up out of my nice warm bed in the cold winter and jump into a cold pool and I still have to get on the trainer YET AGAIN even though my legs feel like they are going to fall off and I still have to go to the weight room even though I've already trained 3 hours that day and I still have to pile on all the gear to get outside and run when the windchill is below zero. And I have to do all that while other people are doing fun stuff like watching tv and eating chips. :)
2) It's okay not to love every second of training. Hating every second of it is a different story of course. Being miserable ALL the time, probably not good. But loving every second? Probably not possible. That's what races and goals are for - to motivate myself to get on the bike in spite of how I really feel about it.
I've been training for my 2009 season for 5 weeks now. The first 3 weeks were like a breeze. I didn't have too many training hours and it just felt great to be back in action. But these past two weeks, I will admit, were rough. As the hours started to increase, so did the fatigue. Which makes the motivation flag a little. And it was the holidays and I really would have much rather been watching The Christmas Story on tv in my jammies than riding on that stupid trainer yet again. And I really think I had just forgotten how "real" training made me feel, and how tiring it is. I didn't miss any workouts, they were all done, but trust me when I say, I was loving every second either.
I was starting to worry just a little. Was this harder than I remembered or am I just really out of shape or is it the weather or WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? How can a 16 hour week make me feel like this when I know I have MANY 20++ weeks coming for the next ELEVEN months?!
But then I started to find little bits of inspiration here and there. A blog someone wrote. Really starting to think and get excited about my first triathlon - Oceanside. A few pictures. A comment here or there. And the Ali quote that really helped me to remember that yeah, this is hard. It hurts and it's tiring and my legs may feel like they are going to fall off for the next 11 months. But that's just how it is. As the famous saying goes, if it were easy, everyone would do it.
And then January 1st came and I had a great run and a good ride too. January 2nd brought a real nice 24x100 set at masters. And today, probably the best brick I've ever had. Not the fastest (got a long way to go on the fitness still) but the most focused and the most positive. I rode inside for a great 2:30 and then off the bike to a great run outside. And then to the weight room. And I was greatly encouraged.
I needed to get my head on straight and in the right frame of mind. And once it was, even though my legs are still tired and I still hate when the alarm blares at 4:45 am, my heart is in the right place to accept it.
Funny what a little inspiration will do.
Posted by beth at January 3, 2009 8:38 PM
Comments
beth, i just love reading your blog, it's always such a gift. thank you.
i'm hoping to come down to oceanside and cheer for you.
cat.
Posted by: cat at January 4, 2009 12:34 AM
sometimes, when im trying to get through workouts i talk to myself and pretend i've made it big and am looking back on these days and how ridiculous it was to be running in the 30 degree rain when no one else was out. but there it is.
and, yeah, i feel like i need to sleep 40 hours after some 12 hour weeks and then i wonder how i'll ever get through this. you can do ti!
Posted by: Kelly at January 4, 2009 1:25 AM
Beth, glad to hear you're feeling more motivated this week. You make a great point about training not being all fun, but being worth it in the end. I hope things continue to feel better as time goes on, as they no doubt will. Your consistency and focus are always an inspiration to me (and likely many others). You're already well on your way to being a champion!
Posted by: Ness at January 4, 2009 7:35 AM
Beth, just consider doing the training for 30 years, trust me it gets harder every year. All I can say though if you want to do it, you just do it and don't think about it. You do learn more about your body year on year too and what and how much to do. Good luck.
Posted by: Jeremy at January 4, 2009 8:06 AM
You're totally right Beth - it's NOT always easy. Then again, if it were, everyone would do it. This is only the beginning, things WILL get easier (even though your legs will feel toasted quite a bit), so hang in there. 16 hours is tough, I don't care who you are, but you CAN do it! Think about your goals, what you want to accomplish and go after it. You, more than just about any other triathlete I know, have a fierce tenacity when it comes to this stuff - you'll do great!
Posted by: marit c-l at January 4, 2009 9:13 AM
Oh man! You are doing 16 hour training weeks? And have 20s ahead of you? That really puts it in perspective for me. I thought I had it bad at 10 hour weeks!!! :)
Keep at it. You have so much potential!!!
Posted by: andrea at January 4, 2009 10:18 AM
I totally understand and can relate to this post. EVERY year it gets harder for me. Every year I work more, my kids get busier and I well, get softer (with the weather). I do try to fight it and make sure I do this b/c at the end of the day I WANT TO - not because I have to. But, the dark, grey -10F degree days are TOUGH. We aren't on our bikes 50% of the year here (well nearly) - and I struggle a bit on the bike on the trainer for the 2-3+ hour rides as I get ready for Oceanside too.
But, you are right. At the end of the day...I love it. But, as I get older and do this sport year after year I find I need more "away time" from the sport. I need to go away like this weekend and sit on the couch and eat M&Ms and drink wine and just de-tox....and that keeps things in perspective for me. I ran 1.45 yesterday in the middle of Green Bay Wisconsin. Trust me...Chicago is a breeze compared to the COLD ice and bitter wind up that far north. But, I loved every minute of it and just things like that help keep things moving along for me and fired up.
I could go on...maybe I need to blog about it too. The gym is what destroys me. I HATE the gym.
Posted by: Jen Harrison at January 4, 2009 1:46 PM
You are an inspiration. And your so correct. That said I still think it is ok to every once-in-a-blue-moon skip a training session and sit in front of the TV and eat a bowl of ice cream (preferably Breyers Mint chip!)
Posted by: Dawn at January 4, 2009 4:28 PM
I saw someone out riding their bike the other day outside in the cold weather and I thought man, that person is crazy...or just really dedicated and determined like Beth! I am glad to hear you are riding inside now, although I think 2.5 hours on the trainer before running in January takes just as much determination and dedication.
Keep up the good work!
Posted by: maija at January 4, 2009 7:44 PM