No Excuses

I said in a previous blog that I'm known for being hard on myself. I'm definitely very critical of how I think I should perform, but I haven't always connected my performance with my preparation. I've thought at times that I should have done better at something, whether it be an athletic endeavor, something work-related, or otherwise. But when I looked at the events leading up to the performance, I had to admit that I made excuses for not always putting in the hard work, and thinking because I *wanted* something very badly, somehow, magically it would happen. Sometimes we get lucky. The right person comes along, or we're in the right place at the right time. When it comes to performing well in a race or goal event, however, luck can't replace hard work. For those of us who are average Joes, consistency in training is the most important factor in improving.

So last year, I decided it was going to be my "No Excuses" year. I had been injured early in 2011, and postponed surgery until December of 2011 so I could have something of a season. I couldn't run at all, and too many miles on the bike hurt. I hated every minute of it, and decided after the surgery and rehab was completed, I would remember how awful it felt to not be able to do the things I wanted to do. No more skipping workouts because I forgot my towel, or it was raining, or my friends wanted to go for coffee. No more wimping out on open water swims, because I couldn't go alone, and couldn't find anyone to swim with. I had a lot of time to think about it while I was hobbling around on my crutches, and I came up with two main ideas or philosophies.

One: Get organized. You waste more time chasing around, doing things half-assed at the last minute, than you would take to think ahead and be prepared. I bought a couple of plastic tubs for my car and put in a variety of biking and running items that I always need: extra cycling shorts, running shorts, sports bras, tubes, gels, etc. You get the idea. I always cycle or run either from home or from somewhere I've driven to, so I always keep my cycling shoes, running shoes, helmet, bike pump, etc. in my car. Wherever I am, so is my car, so when I get back home from a ride, my shoes and helmet go back in the car. What works for me won't work for everyone. Give it some thought and dedicate an afternoon to organizing things. Write stuff down as you think of them, and do them as soon as you get a minute. My solution for forgetting my towel? I bought a chamois that swimmers use. It's small--takes up hardly any room in my gym bag, and will do in a pinch. No excuses. When I see that I'm running out of shampoo in my shower kit, I leave my gym bag somewhere where I'll trip over it, so I'll remember that I need to do something with it. That smartphone that goes everywhere with you? It has a notepad, a reminder or to-do app, a calendar, whatever. Use it! For one open water swim with someone who is notoriously unreliable, I had my husband come along with his kayak. The person showed, but my husband paddled a short distance away, and that worked. The next time I wanted to swim, my son came along with the kayak and spotted me.

The second philosophy is what I call "1, 2, 3." If you are serious about training, there are only three priorities that you need to juggle in your day-to-day life. Everything else comes after (most of the time). Those three things are: family, job, training. Look at your training calendar at least a week ahead and plug in your workouts. Weekdays are usually work days for me. I have a "hair, clothes, makeup" job, to which I arrive before 7:30 a.m., and is non-stop all day. I like quiet, relaxing time before work to gather myself, so weekdays, work is usually "1." I have a grown son who is living with us temporarily, who has a job and a social life. My husband is retired. So, I can usually rank my workout as "2," meaning I can plan it in immediately after work, and have family time, "3", for dinner and during the evening. My husband and son like to sleep in on weekends, so my workout is usually "1" on Saturday and Sunday. I get up early and get it done, and have the rest of the day for family, friends, housework, etc. I find that if I've planned in the workouts, I view them like I would a doctor's appointment--not optional. Unless, of course, life gets in the way. Maybe my dad calls because he's just remembered that he needs a driver for his eye appointment today. The "old" me would have used that as an excuse to take a day off. Can't say no, right? The "new" me evaluates the situation honestly. Am I in need of a rest day? If it's been awhile, then I can push the workout out of the top 3, and not feel guilty. If I really want to get the workout in, then I find a way and still help out Dad. Maybe, instead of riding, I go for a run while he's at the doctor's office (here's where that tub of extra clothes in your car comes in handy). No excuses. For me, getting organized and adopting the "1, 2, 3" philosophy has made me more efficient, and I find that I have even more free time to socialize, run errands, or whatever, than I used to before I was training regularly.

Caveat: Many people I know, either personally or from the Spinervals Facebook group, don't have commitment issues when it comes to training. They've drunk the Kool-aid. Instead, they struggle with having proper perspective when their job or family responsibilities interfere. As I said earlier, consistency in training is imperative for improvement, and for those of us who don't get paid to race, finding time to train five or six (or seven!) days a week is tough. We know we can't skip too many workouts without paying the price. For instance, I don't actually plan in rest days. Recovery days, yes. Rest days, no; because, invariably, something comes up every week to ten days to prevent me from getting a workout in. For those times when frustration creeps in when illness, or extra paperwork, or some other "1" or "2" obligation makes a workout impossible, it's important to remind yourself that rest is essential. Tired muscles cannot get stronger or faster. A day off here or there is actually part of your training. If the "rest" stretches into days, or longer, embrace the suck. Depending on the length of and reason for the layoff, perhaps you can use the time to get extra sleep. Or do the yoga or core exercises you also say you're going to do but don't. Or tick a bunch of stuff off your honey-do list, so when you do get back to training, you're a little less encumbered with other obligations. As a fellow Spinervals peep, David Smith, has pointed out, once you've committed to regular training, regardless of your ability level, you're still lapping everybody on the couch.

My Story

I'm 53 years old, a Kindergarten teacher for 22 years, married with a grown son. I've always been active, but not always in an athletic, competitive way. I played intramural sports in junior high and high school, and I ran track in high school. I wasn't very fast, just a skinny girl who liked to compete. My mother died of cancer when I was 16, and my Dad remarried two years later. I gained a mom and three step-sisters in the deal. I've not been without a bike since I was eight years old, so after I got married and had my son, I continued to ride and run some. I was never a big person, so weight control wasn't an issue. I was active enough, but didn't often break a sweat. The year my son graduated from high school, my step-mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was 40 years old, my mother's age when she died, and I realized that, as a woman, if I didn't make my health a priority, no one else would. I started running more, did strength and core training. Joined a gym, took spin classes. I signed up for swimming lessons at the Y. I had learned to swim in a muddy hole at the local river, which means I learned how to save myself from drowning, and not much more. I always wanted to learn how to "really swim," like the Olympians or triathletes I saw on TV. I bought a road bike, and the next thing I knew, I was training and racing as a women's Cat 4. The races were fun and I'm glad I did them, but my best competitive finish was 25th. I belong to a local cycling club, do century rides and compete in a local weekly time trial series. I love to ride and run, and I really enjoy racing and pushing myself to see how hard and fast I can go. I thought maybe I could be competitive in triathlon. I did my first race, a sprint, in the summer of 2010. The potential embarrassment of explaining why I didn't finish was the only thing that got me through the swim. I was 60 out of 66 out of the water, but had the fastest bike split. Finished 19th overall, and lost my age group by only a minute. Clearly, I needed to work on my swim, so I joined a Masters Swim team and got to work. Unfortunately, I injured my hip in the spring of 2011, so wasn't able to run. I did a half-iron distance Aquabike that fall, again, panicking on the swim. I was last out of the water, but, again, had the fastest bike split. I finished in 4:18. I had hip surgery in December of 2011--labral tear and an impingement--rehabbed, and came back strong in 2012. I'm running and riding stronger than I ever have, thanks to Spinervals and a great physical therapist. I did some cycling races and events, and some running races this year. I did four local mini-tris this summer and won all of them, but panicked on the swim in every one. I would be almost last out of the water, then had to work so hard on the bike and run to gain the lead. I did a local "classic" distance tri, had a good swim for once, and won my age group. I was signed up for another sprint and an Olympic distance, but wasn't able to do either for different reasons, but in both cases, I was hugely relieved. So, I'm kind of at a crossroads right now. There are some cycling and running events I am going to sign up for that I really want to do well at, so will be training hard for them. I'm not ready to give up on triathlon yet, but first, I need to drown that swim monkey on my back.