Using the little ring

As competitive endurance athletes many of us are extremely type A. I admit whole heartedly that I fall victim. My friends frequently have to remind me that not everything is a competition. For example, the other day my good buddy Ben and I were discussing our obsession with the sport. I proceeded to try to make my point that my passion for the sport was greater than his by discussing how much I loved training. Ben then proceeded to tell me that he woke up at 5 or 6am on the weekends to watch ITU races on TV. Quickly we realized the foolishness in our debate as Ben reminded me that it was no competition. When you are as competitive as we are, anything can be a dick measuring contest.
Another example is when I go out for rides frequently it is hard for me to, in the words of Stingle "chill." When Savage and I ride we constantly find ourselves pulling at 23mph, crushing one anothers legs and sprinting up hills. We may be some of the worst offenders of pointlessly massacring each other. Even if there is no race in sight, and no point at all to be going anaerobic, that inner desire simply drives us to constantly try to "one-up" each other.
The need to constantly compete against one another is simply part of being a competitive athlete. It is this desire that gives us the motivation to spend an ungodly amount of hours in the saddle, or get up before sunrise to get a workout in. HOWEVER, we must understand when it is time to shift to the little ring. Ironically, our competitive edge is one of our greatest faults as well as one of our greatest assets. As during winter training on the bike, we cannot always be riding around in the 53x11 (the biggest gear combination on a typical bike). There are times for hammering and there are times for "chillin'." It is being able to balance ourselves, and knowing when to use the little ring that is important. There is nothing wrong with Jon and I's weekly hammerfests we enjoy them, and that is what it is all about. On the other hand, there are times when life dictates down-shifting as well. It is critical that we pay attention to these times in our lives as well. I admit that to frequently I fall victim to the constant hammer philosophy. This week, and in the future I will work on knowing when to sit up and spin easy.

The hardest pill to swallow

I am trying to get the hang of writing entry's without discussing races, as if I only wrote about racing there would be a large gap in my blogging between the months of September-February. Just last week I discussed a revelation that I believe I have undergone since beginning endurance athletics. Coming into the sport i was extremely focused on being number 1, overly so. This is a common trap many of us fall into. It is easy, when we really want something, to put on the blinders to the world around us. Some might call this a "one-TRACK mind" (ha,ha,ha).

I apologize for the pun, hopefully you are still reading. I guess I have become quite the comedian in my old age, I have to attribute the puns to my mom and her boyfriend Mark, as they dwarf me in their linguistic abilities.

To get back to the point, I would like to believe that I have gotten BETTER at pulling off the blinders and looking at the rest of the world around me. I do believe that being surrounded by so many like minded individuals we can help each other to see the world in a more holistic manner. I do spend a fair amount of time discussing training and racing with my friends but this is what I like to do, there are much worse things that is for sure. One of the biggest parts of training, that I discuss nearly ad nauseum is setbacks. Setbacks are inevitable with endurance sports, and it is these setback that make victory taste so sweet.

Last week I discussed that it is during times when we cannot train because of injuries that we can grow the most. Maybe I should have knocked on some wood because a week later I find myself completely out of commission for running (peroneal tendinitis). I have been fortunate over the past year to undergo very few injuries, which has been phenomenal for my training. I have seen friends around me suffer from numerous setbacks and injuries and I have been quick to reassure these individuals that if they are smart and focus on recovering they will be back in no time. Now that I find myself in their position I find myself antsy as hell to get healthy again just as they were.

If a friend of mine had come to me and told me they were having the pain I was last week I would have told them to make sure NOT to run on it, and ice and stretch well. Why then is it that I feel that I should do anything different? Of course I tried to run through the aching foot for two days before I decided to take a few days off completely before resuming biking and swimming. During my drive to and from Philly Evrett and I discussed for some time the irony in the fact that it is the advice that we are the quickest to give that is the most difficult for us to follow. It is difficult for us as imperfect human beings to look at the situation from an outside point of view. It is our own medicine that is by far the least palatable for ourselves. Fortunately, it is November and there is a long time until next season. This will give me the chance to put some much needed work into my swimming. It is important for us to realize our imperfections and be patient and listen to ourselves. Frequently, the answers for the most distressing issues we deal with are best answered by the one-and-only you.