Research has shown that people who volunteer often live longer. -- Allen Klein
As a spectator, you get to watch everything, but I'd much rather be playing than watching. I'll have time to watch later in my career. -- Landon Donovan
This past weekend was super busy...and pretty amazing. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it shocks me how incredibly tiring it was - because I didn't race. I did everything but...
Sunday was the East Coast Triathlon Festival, an all day affair featuring junior & youth elite, CAMTRI elite, and then regular folks - adults and kids. So much great triathlon in one place in one day.
Because it's local (and my daughter trains with the group that sponsors the races), I volunteered to help with set-up...which meant a really early wake-up call on Sunday morning, followed by over 2 hours of unloading hay bales from a semi to set up corner barriers of hay walls. I didn't feel it at the time, but since then, my arms/back/shoulders have reminded me that is a lot of work of the type I'm not used to.
When the course was set up, I went home to rest (and get the hay out of my hair/clothes/shoes...and not terribly successfully, I will say). Then some breakfast, a quick 6-mile run, and back to the race site with my daughter to watch her training mates doing the youth elite races. Next year she ages up and is eligible for these races, so we wanted to really watch them.
After the youth racers, we saw the adult elite - future Olympic-level athletes from around the world - so interesting!
Finally it was time to watch my little athlete. I mom-spectate at races (and soccer games and track meets) all the time, but I will say, triathlon spectating is the hardest, since I race from the swim start to transition to somewhere on the bike course to transition to a corner of the run course...and yeah, well, you get the picture. On top of that 6 mile run, I walked/jogged/jumped/skipped about 6 more miles over the course of the day.
No wonder I felt exhausted...and I hadn't even raced! My first tri of the season...this weekend!
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Thursday, May 4, 2017
What Moves Me?
The changing of the goals helps keep the motivation fresh. -- Bradley Wiggins
Other people's success spurs me on to do well and gives me motivation. -- Nicholas Hoult
I read somewhere that, in order to push through the hard times in training and races, you need to know your motivation. What is it that is pushing you? Why do you want this so bad?
I've found for me, however, that there is no one thing. There are many things and they push me in different ways and for different reasons. I don't know if that ultimately is a problem - maybe if I had ONE THING it would be more effective and getting me through the tough times. But sometimes I feel like the one thing gets stale and becomes less powerful.
So what moves me?
Being a good role model to this kid. And her sister. Sometimes people ask me how I motivate my daughters to do sporting events with the intensity and passion that they have. Honestly, I don't think it has much to do with me, but I know if I give up, if I don't try, if I sit on the couch...then that's what they may think is the best use of their time. I am motivated to be a role model for an active life.
Gold stars. Yeah. I'm so totally motivated by gold stars. And praise. Kind of like a toddler or a dog. I will work hard so you will be happy with my efforts. Honestly, that is one of the top reasons I need (and love) my coach. Having her look over my workouts and be happy (because I totally worked hard and earned it - I don't pay her just to be happy at me, although I could get into that too...paying someone to just walk around and praise you...that would be neat) has been a big motivator for me.
There are other things too...but no one thing gets me through any workout or race. All these things and more push me to work hard and finish strong. Maybe it's not the best approach, but it's working for me.
Other people's success spurs me on to do well and gives me motivation. -- Nicholas Hoult
I read somewhere that, in order to push through the hard times in training and races, you need to know your motivation. What is it that is pushing you? Why do you want this so bad?
I've found for me, however, that there is no one thing. There are many things and they push me in different ways and for different reasons. I don't know if that ultimately is a problem - maybe if I had ONE THING it would be more effective and getting me through the tough times. But sometimes I feel like the one thing gets stale and becomes less powerful.
So what moves me?
Being inspired by people like this. Terry Fox attempted to run across Canada with one leg, only quitting because his cancer came back. Knowing that other people out there are doing things that are truly hard. My workouts may seem hard for me, but how can I not give it my all when there are so many harder things out there and people doing amazing things that are really, truly hard.
There are other things too...but no one thing gets me through any workout or race. All these things and more push me to work hard and finish strong. Maybe it's not the best approach, but it's working for me.
Monday, May 1, 2017
MAY DAY! MAY DAY!
When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised change, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness? Whatever it is, it's welcome. -- Kristin Armstrong
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens... -- Ecclesiastes 3:1
Apparently there is a season for not blogging...and that season is spring. :)
I listen to a lot of productivity podcasts and instead of work-life balance, a lot of these podcasts talk about seasons. Not spring, winter, etc. - although sometimes those correspond - but ther is a busy season for work, followed by a season to regroup with your family, followed by a season to rebuild your business, etc. I think this is a much more realistic way to live...achieving balance on a daily or even weekly basis is just not feasible for me.
Spring was a very busy work season for me. I worked. A lot. And my kids were (and still are) super busy this spring...so that added to the busyness. I still trained, but I didn't really embody my training. I followed my coach's plan, but I wasn't living triathlon. As this busy season wound down, I found myself kind of suffering. And this is where the distress call comes in - MAY DAY!
This morning is, for me, a new season - appropriately coinciding with May 1, or May Day. May Day always struck me as kind of funny - depending on context, it's either a distress call or a sweet day of baskets, flowers, and May poles. (There's also that socialist/communist workers' day context...but let's just leave that alone.) My work schedule has changed - from now until August it is a lot more flexible - much work to be done, but a different, more creative type of work. And triathlon season is near - my first race is May 13 - so it's time to embody the triathlete life...and eat better and sleep properly and focus on the plan and finish everything strong.
As I start this new season of the year, I'm coming in on a high note. I ran a 10K yesterday in hot, humid weather. It wasn't a PR, but it was a good strong race for me - I was consistent, I had a nice negative split, and I finished hard. Consistency. Execution, Finish Strong. That's what I want for this coming season. I'm hopeful. I'm grateful. I'm open. And it's time.
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens... -- Ecclesiastes 3:1
Apparently there is a season for not blogging...and that season is spring. :)
I listen to a lot of productivity podcasts and instead of work-life balance, a lot of these podcasts talk about seasons. Not spring, winter, etc. - although sometimes those correspond - but ther is a busy season for work, followed by a season to regroup with your family, followed by a season to rebuild your business, etc. I think this is a much more realistic way to live...achieving balance on a daily or even weekly basis is just not feasible for me.
Spring was a very busy work season for me. I worked. A lot. And my kids were (and still are) super busy this spring...so that added to the busyness. I still trained, but I didn't really embody my training. I followed my coach's plan, but I wasn't living triathlon. As this busy season wound down, I found myself kind of suffering. And this is where the distress call comes in - MAY DAY!
This morning is, for me, a new season - appropriately coinciding with May 1, or May Day. May Day always struck me as kind of funny - depending on context, it's either a distress call or a sweet day of baskets, flowers, and May poles. (There's also that socialist/communist workers' day context...but let's just leave that alone.) My work schedule has changed - from now until August it is a lot more flexible - much work to be done, but a different, more creative type of work. And triathlon season is near - my first race is May 13 - so it's time to embody the triathlete life...and eat better and sleep properly and focus on the plan and finish everything strong.
As I start this new season of the year, I'm coming in on a high note. I ran a 10K yesterday in hot, humid weather. It wasn't a PR, but it was a good strong race for me - I was consistent, I had a nice negative split, and I finished hard. Consistency. Execution, Finish Strong. That's what I want for this coming season. I'm hopeful. I'm grateful. I'm open. And it's time.
Monday, January 16, 2017
The Songs That Save Me
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. -- Bob Marley
The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with. -- Bruce Springsteen
This weekend I had my first power test on my bike - to start making good use of that awesome Christmas present from my husband. Power tests, for the uninitiated, suck. A lot. It is all about medium-length ALL OUT intervals.
When your coach uses the terms "vomit-inducing" and "lung burning" in the instructions...you know you're in for a good time. :)
Usually when I'm on the trainer, I watch TV. It's good guilty pleasure time and often, since we have side-by-side trainers, IronSherpa and I catch up on some of the series we're watching. But I knew this weekend's ride would be different. I wasn't going to have the wherewithall to focus on the television if I was truly focused on the intervals.
Instead, I loaded up my favorite tunes, popped on some headphones, and jacked up the volume on my iPod. Yeah, I know. It's not good for my ears. It was, however, super necessary for my success for this training session.
Songs are personal - hearing a song often takes you back to a place, a memory, an event...so of course these will vary by people. But let me tell you about some of the songs that saved me - that pushed me, that made the intervals hurt a little less, that made what my coach called AN EXCELLENT POWER TEST possible (her caps, not mine!). I didn't time these out in any particular way - I just took one of my "pump it up" play lists and put it on shuffle. Sometimes I think my iPod possesses some sort of intelligence...because a lot of times just the right song pops up at Just. The. Right. Time. Crazy, right?
Warm-up Power Interval (3m ALL OUT): Kanye, Stronger
The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with. -- Bruce Springsteen
This weekend I had my first power test on my bike - to start making good use of that awesome Christmas present from my husband. Power tests, for the uninitiated, suck. A lot. It is all about medium-length ALL OUT intervals.
Usually when I'm on the trainer, I watch TV. It's good guilty pleasure time and often, since we have side-by-side trainers, IronSherpa and I catch up on some of the series we're watching. But I knew this weekend's ride would be different. I wasn't going to have the wherewithall to focus on the television if I was truly focused on the intervals.
Instead, I loaded up my favorite tunes, popped on some headphones, and jacked up the volume on my iPod. Yeah, I know. It's not good for my ears. It was, however, super necessary for my success for this training session.
Songs are personal - hearing a song often takes you back to a place, a memory, an event...so of course these will vary by people. But let me tell you about some of the songs that saved me - that pushed me, that made the intervals hurt a little less, that made what my coach called AN EXCELLENT POWER TEST possible (her caps, not mine!). I didn't time these out in any particular way - I just took one of my "pump it up" play lists and put it on shuffle. Sometimes I think my iPod possesses some sort of intelligence...because a lot of times just the right song pops up at Just. The. Right. Time. Crazy, right?
Warm-up Power Interval (3m ALL OUT): Kanye, Stronger
N-now th-that that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
Three minutes ALL OUT is hard, but it'll look easy after I finish...the best way to think about this workout (and all the devious workouts my coach plans based on my power numbers) will either kill me or make me stronger. Great song to get me into the right mindset for this workout. (Spoiler alert - I didn't die, so I guess this workout made me STRONGER!)
Power Interval #1 (9m ALL OUT): New Order, Shell Shock
Hold on! It's never enough
It's never enough until your heart stops beating
The deeper you get, the sweeter the pain
Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating
Damn. Nine minutes all out is really flippin' hard. Time to get deep in the pain cave and embrace the pain. I actually smiled when this song shuffled up. I probably shouldn't be smiling, it is harder to breathe, but it made me super happy and I rocked on through the interval in part on this song. This song was also the part of the soundtrack for my high school career...those memories made me smile too. :o
Power Interval #2 (9m ALL OUT): Van Halen, Right Now
Miss the beat, you lose the rhythm, and nothing falls into place
Only missed by a fraction, slipped a little off your pace
The more things you get the more you want
Just trade in one for the other,
Workin' so hard to make it easier, whoa
Got to turn, c'mon turn this thing around.
Right Now, hey, it's your tomorrow.....
So...at the beginning of overtime at Capitals games in the early 2000s, they always played this song. (And probably at every critical moment in sporting events in the late 90s and early 2000s everywhere, but hey, we were in DC and I love hockey. What can I say.) Anyway...just the first couple notes of the opening riff and I was on fire. Plus it's a nice long tune...so by the time it was over, I was a good way through the last hard interval. Which was beyond hard. OMG. I was dying...but I kept pedaling my little heart out. It's my tomorrow on the line. (BTW - the video for this still plays in my head when I hear it. Crazy.)
Cool Down: Imagine Dragons, I Bet My Life
Now remember when I told you that's the last you'll see of me
Remember when I broke you down to tears
I know I took the path that you would never want for me
I gave you hell through all the years...
OK. So this song doesn't fit quite as nice, but I giggled when it hit during my cooldown because I was crying. I am an exertion crier. So embarassing. Whenever I give it my all, I end up in tears afterwards. Usually it happens after races...but yeah, I was tearing up on the trainer during the cooldown of the power test. Which I guess is good, because it means I gave my coach everything I had (as opposed to the hell I usually give her...hahahaha).
So there's the story of my successful power test...and the songs that saved me.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Snow Day Sunday at the YMCA
The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? -- J.B. Priestly
I go to the gym three days a week. You have to or else -- I don't want to be the guy that dies shoveling snow. -- Douglas Coupland
I live in the mid-Atlantic. We get snow every year, but we deal with it very poorly. When the flakes start flying, schools start to close. An inch on the ground, the churches shut their doors. Two inches, and the entire city shuts down.
This past Saturday, we got between 6-8 inches. As you can imagine, starting Friday night, everything shut down. EVERYTHING. (In fact, the kids just went back to school today -- Thursday -- which is totally insane and a different story altogether...they should have been back Tuesday at the latest. Rant over.) Anyway, Saturday was a day where everyone bunkered down in their houses. And it was good, and kind of magical. We woke up Saturday morning to a magical winter wonderland.
Then it was Sunday. The churches were closed. Stores were opening late. But the key notice we all were waiting for...when would the Y open? I mean, you can't run outside when there is that much snow (and we don't plow...that's why snow is so devastating). And you've been housebound for 24+ hours, so you're getting a little twitchy. When the Y opened late, at noon, on Sunday...the place was mobbed.
Adding to the perfect storm (pun intended), this snow day happened in early January. Not only was the Y teeming with twitchy people who needed to get out of their house and twitchy fit people who hadn't been able to exercise in a day or so, there were also a large number of twitchy resolutionaries.
This, however, is not a post bashing on resolutionaries. I am happy for them. And if even one of them is still at the Y in February, that's a win in my column. (I also prefer resolutionaries to resoluters...resolutionaries makes them sound like people who are interested in creating large changes in their worlds. Resolutionaries - I salute you!) And so while some people were irate about how busy the Y was at noon on Sunday, I'm OK.
It doesn't mean I just rolled with it - I got to the Y at least 5 minutes before it opened, because there are only so many treadmills and I wanted to be sure I got one right away. People who did not think so far ahead got there at 5 after 12 and were sorely disappointed that the cardio machines were rapidly filling up. Also, my training session was about an hour and a half...and the machines turn off at an hour, so I'll admit that I engaged in some subterfuge to reset my machine without losing it at 60 minutes. (Uh, just tying my shoe. Nothing to see here. Nope, not done now.) By then the Y was starting to flow a little better and treadmills were opening up here and there every 5-10 minutes, so I don't feel bad about hogging one. You gotta do whatcha gotta do.
Winter is a hard time for triathlon training...getting to the pool when it's cold and dark, being confined to the treadmill by the snow and ice, and the trainer...the trainer...the trainer. But it's also a time to remember that everyone started some time. Look how far those of us who stick with it have come. Later this spring, we can look forward to welcoming new triathletes to our ranks...remembering that they started at the hardest time and stuck through it for the least fun parts of training. Resolutionaries - I salute you! Can't wait to call you TRIATHLETE this summer.
I go to the gym three days a week. You have to or else -- I don't want to be the guy that dies shoveling snow. -- Douglas Coupland
I live in the mid-Atlantic. We get snow every year, but we deal with it very poorly. When the flakes start flying, schools start to close. An inch on the ground, the churches shut their doors. Two inches, and the entire city shuts down.
This past Saturday, we got between 6-8 inches. As you can imagine, starting Friday night, everything shut down. EVERYTHING. (In fact, the kids just went back to school today -- Thursday -- which is totally insane and a different story altogether...they should have been back Tuesday at the latest. Rant over.) Anyway, Saturday was a day where everyone bunkered down in their houses. And it was good, and kind of magical. We woke up Saturday morning to a magical winter wonderland.
Then it was Sunday. The churches were closed. Stores were opening late. But the key notice we all were waiting for...when would the Y open? I mean, you can't run outside when there is that much snow (and we don't plow...that's why snow is so devastating). And you've been housebound for 24+ hours, so you're getting a little twitchy. When the Y opened late, at noon, on Sunday...the place was mobbed.
Adding to the perfect storm (pun intended), this snow day happened in early January. Not only was the Y teeming with twitchy people who needed to get out of their house and twitchy fit people who hadn't been able to exercise in a day or so, there were also a large number of twitchy resolutionaries.
This, however, is not a post bashing on resolutionaries. I am happy for them. And if even one of them is still at the Y in February, that's a win in my column. (I also prefer resolutionaries to resoluters...resolutionaries makes them sound like people who are interested in creating large changes in their worlds. Resolutionaries - I salute you!) And so while some people were irate about how busy the Y was at noon on Sunday, I'm OK.
It doesn't mean I just rolled with it - I got to the Y at least 5 minutes before it opened, because there are only so many treadmills and I wanted to be sure I got one right away. People who did not think so far ahead got there at 5 after 12 and were sorely disappointed that the cardio machines were rapidly filling up. Also, my training session was about an hour and a half...and the machines turn off at an hour, so I'll admit that I engaged in some subterfuge to reset my machine without losing it at 60 minutes. (Uh, just tying my shoe. Nothing to see here. Nope, not done now.) By then the Y was starting to flow a little better and treadmills were opening up here and there every 5-10 minutes, so I don't feel bad about hogging one. You gotta do whatcha gotta do.
Winter is a hard time for triathlon training...getting to the pool when it's cold and dark, being confined to the treadmill by the snow and ice, and the trainer...the trainer...the trainer. But it's also a time to remember that everyone started some time. Look how far those of us who stick with it have come. Later this spring, we can look forward to welcoming new triathletes to our ranks...remembering that they started at the hardest time and stuck through it for the least fun parts of training. Resolutionaries - I salute you! Can't wait to call you TRIATHLETE this summer.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Practically (IM)Perfect in Every Way
I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something. -- Neil Gaiman
Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love. -- Wally Lamb
January. The magic month of good intentions. "I'm going to follow my training plan to a tee. And eat clean every single day. And not drink ever. And be practically perfect in every way." At least that's what most New Years' resolutions sound like in my head.
I'll admit, I have quite a big problem with all-or-nothing thinking. If I can't do it perfectly, then why do it at all? I know, logically, that isn't the right approach...but it's just the way I'm wired. This all-or-nothing thing also makes me super-excited to do everything right at the beginning of the year, or the beginning of the month, or the beginning of the week. Because then I can do it ALL right. You understand this, don't you? I know I'm not the only person who works this way.
So every January, I decide to change from the horrible eating and drinking habits I engaged in over the holidays. Or for the month of December. Or since Thanksgiving. (Or heck, since "race season" ended in October...or maybe since last January 15...) I'm going to eat clean. And follow my training plan. And not drink. And be perfect.
And then it's January 4, which is a super special day in our house, because my favorite youth triathlete has a birthday. This year she's 12. And she's pretty awesome.
Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love. -- Wally Lamb
January. The magic month of good intentions. "I'm going to follow my training plan to a tee. And eat clean every single day. And not drink ever. And be practically perfect in every way." At least that's what most New Years' resolutions sound like in my head.
I'll admit, I have quite a big problem with all-or-nothing thinking. If I can't do it perfectly, then why do it at all? I know, logically, that isn't the right approach...but it's just the way I'm wired. This all-or-nothing thing also makes me super-excited to do everything right at the beginning of the year, or the beginning of the month, or the beginning of the week. Because then I can do it ALL right. You understand this, don't you? I know I'm not the only person who works this way.
So every January, I decide to change from the horrible eating and drinking habits I engaged in over the holidays. Or for the month of December. Or since Thanksgiving. (Or heck, since "race season" ended in October...or maybe since last January 15...) I'm going to eat clean. And follow my training plan. And not drink. And be perfect.
And then it's January 4, which is a super special day in our house, because my favorite youth triathlete has a birthday. This year she's 12. And she's pretty awesome.
And she wants cake. And ice cream. Because she's 12 and it's her birthday. I want nothing more than to celebrate with her and her awesome self. So tonight I will have cake. And ice cream. Because I love her.
Then the Christmas stuff will come down and I'll get ready to start a new semester of teaching...and I'll want wine. Because I'm old and I want nothing more than to celebrate the change of seasons in my life. So I will have wine. Because I love my life.
Pretty soon, it will be mid-January...and IronSherpa will have a birthday. I won't tell you how old he is. (I will tell you I'm jealous of both him and my daughter...they turn their USAT age before any races, so they don't have that weird mental thing of trying to remember how old they really are.) Anyway, on his birthday, we will have cake. And ice cream. Because he's old and it's his birthday. And he will want some wine. So I will have cake and ice cream and wine. Because I love him.
And then January will end, and I will think - crap, what happened to my resolutions...to train perfectly, to eat perfectly clean, to drink nothing fun?
Rather than make crazy resolutions that I know I can't keep, I think it's a better resolution to lose my all-or-nothing thinking. I will not train perfectly. I will not eat perfectly. I like wine too much to not drink it.
But I can be practically imperfect in every way. I will eat clean as much as practical...but cake and ice cream is more important. I will not drink as much as I did during the holidays...but celebrating little events of every day life matters. I will train as practically perfect as I can...but I know that if a day goes south and things go off the rails...there will be another workout for me tomorrow. Because life and love matter. And no one is perfect.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Happy New Year's 2017 - the year of FINISH
I'm racing against me. As long as I come across the finish, I'll be okay. -- Ruben Studdard
When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself. -- Isak Dinesen
A couple years ago, I was in a book club on Facebook with some old friends where we read & discussed One Word That Will Change Your Life. Basically, rather than setting goals or making resolutions, you pick a word that is the driving force of your year.
I've been thinking about 2017...and how resolutions usually don't stick and I'm not so great at goal setting...and so I've decided to pick one word instead. My word for 2017 is FINISH.
If you know anything about my race season last year (or even the last couple years), you're nodding your head. This is the most obvious word ever for the most unlucky triathlete around. 2017 is clearly the year I will finish an Ironman. And all the other races I set out to do. Let this year be the year of no hypothermia, no head kicks, no hurricanes, nothing that will stand between me and the finish line of my races.
But if FINISH is the driving force of my year, it can't really be so simple...there is a lot more to it. Another aspect of FINISHING means I need to really strive to finish my workouts, as written by my coach. I'm not horrible at this (at least I don't think I am...but maybe my coach would tell you differently)...but I can always do better. The finish line comes from the little bit of work put forth every day. This year I will also work harder to finish my workouts.
But that still isn't the full answer. I didn't pick FINISH just because of triathlon. I was thinking about this yesterday. I did my annual fundraising swim at 100x100s...pretty much you swim as much as you can in 3 hours. Back and forth, back and forth, in a 25 yard pool for three hours gives you plenty of time to get lost in your head. So I was thinking about my word - at least for part of the time.
In real life, I am a chronically bad finisher. At home, I have unfinished projects. At work, I have unfinished projects. I suffer from some sort of "ooh, look - a shiny squirrel" syndrome. I am all excited to start a project. I work on it for a while. Then something else looks more interesting. This isn't to say I never finish projects - there are a lot of things I get done because the end is easy to see or because I know the "reward" of the end is worth getting over the hump. But projects that have a more nebulous finish line or that have uncertainty (or worse, more work) at the finish line are harder for me to finish.
Now races, those are easier, right? Because the finish line is pretty well marked (at least usually) and after you finish a race, you get a medal. You eat fun food and maybe drink a few beers. You take a few days or so off, depending on the race. Plus, at least in my experience, you're only participating in one race at a time.
And think about the end of a race. I am usually so jazzed to see the finish line that I can put aside the hurts and the "don't wannas" and everything that has bogged me down in the last however many miles and run. HARD. Because the finish. Maybe my life projects need to be more like racing?
This year I will strive to finish my races and my projects. Instead of getting weary as the finish line approaches (or doesn't), I will kick it into gear. When I finish a race, I will accept my medal proudly. When I finish a project, I will give myself a small reward. Whether I finish a race or a project, I will kick back with some fun food and a few beers...and I will not think about the next project or race for a few days.
2017 will be the year of FINISH. I can't wait!
When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself. -- Isak Dinesen
A couple years ago, I was in a book club on Facebook with some old friends where we read & discussed One Word That Will Change Your Life. Basically, rather than setting goals or making resolutions, you pick a word that is the driving force of your year.
I've been thinking about 2017...and how resolutions usually don't stick and I'm not so great at goal setting...and so I've decided to pick one word instead. My word for 2017 is FINISH.
If you know anything about my race season last year (or even the last couple years), you're nodding your head. This is the most obvious word ever for the most unlucky triathlete around. 2017 is clearly the year I will finish an Ironman. And all the other races I set out to do. Let this year be the year of no hypothermia, no head kicks, no hurricanes, nothing that will stand between me and the finish line of my races.
But if FINISH is the driving force of my year, it can't really be so simple...there is a lot more to it. Another aspect of FINISHING means I need to really strive to finish my workouts, as written by my coach. I'm not horrible at this (at least I don't think I am...but maybe my coach would tell you differently)...but I can always do better. The finish line comes from the little bit of work put forth every day. This year I will also work harder to finish my workouts.
But that still isn't the full answer. I didn't pick FINISH just because of triathlon. I was thinking about this yesterday. I did my annual fundraising swim at 100x100s...pretty much you swim as much as you can in 3 hours. Back and forth, back and forth, in a 25 yard pool for three hours gives you plenty of time to get lost in your head. So I was thinking about my word - at least for part of the time.
In real life, I am a chronically bad finisher. At home, I have unfinished projects. At work, I have unfinished projects. I suffer from some sort of "ooh, look - a shiny squirrel" syndrome. I am all excited to start a project. I work on it for a while. Then something else looks more interesting. This isn't to say I never finish projects - there are a lot of things I get done because the end is easy to see or because I know the "reward" of the end is worth getting over the hump. But projects that have a more nebulous finish line or that have uncertainty (or worse, more work) at the finish line are harder for me to finish.
Now races, those are easier, right? Because the finish line is pretty well marked (at least usually) and after you finish a race, you get a medal. You eat fun food and maybe drink a few beers. You take a few days or so off, depending on the race. Plus, at least in my experience, you're only participating in one race at a time.
And think about the end of a race. I am usually so jazzed to see the finish line that I can put aside the hurts and the "don't wannas" and everything that has bogged me down in the last however many miles and run. HARD. Because the finish. Maybe my life projects need to be more like racing?
This year I will strive to finish my races and my projects. Instead of getting weary as the finish line approaches (or doesn't), I will kick it into gear. When I finish a race, I will accept my medal proudly. When I finish a project, I will give myself a small reward. Whether I finish a race or a project, I will kick back with some fun food and a few beers...and I will not think about the next project or race for a few days.
2017 will be the year of FINISH. I can't wait!
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