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.