It's Showtime

Take a theatre company, or an orchestra. They practice a piece of music everyday. They ensure that each note is played to perfection, ensuring the audience is presented with a flawless performance. Their environment is consistent. No variables, but the humans that belt out the notes, crescendoing at the conclusion with a triumphant finale.

The issue with triathlons is that our sheet music ever changes. Our environment is anything but consistent. The bodies of water we swim in are dynamic. The roads we ride on sometimes rough and unsure. However, the weather we practice in is always different. We try to find the right type to mimic what we would receive on race day. Coeur D'Alene is renowned for it's choppy cold waters and brisk weather. Not this year! That sheet music has been emblazoned a few octaves higher and forecasts suggest we could be playing in the 105 degree area. We have trained in all types of environments this year. Wind, rain, cold and lack of directional sense. However, nothing we could have done would ready us for this weeks forecast. And quite frankly nothing we still can do, but prepare and be dynamic. Adaptable and cautious. As one of my friends has stated. Forget being quick. Forget performing well. Embrace that you're attending a hot party and manage the day as best you can.

The good news is that the pressure is off. No one expects anyone to finish in temperatures such as these. It will be another climb on the way to this elusive prize. The key in this environment is to let the others fuck it up. Pace yourself, take on fluids like it's a new fashion trend and survive, not race. Let the others fall away as you benefit from your slow pacing and gentle running. I would be surprised if they shorten a portion of the race. High 90's is one thing, but north of 100 could even push their limits of tolerance.

We shall see. It's out of our hands now. All we can do is show up and do our best with what we have been given. No doubt there will be an interesting race report to follow.

Good luck to us all!

Reflection and tapering

I type this as I ride on the trainer in front of the movie Chef. Forgive the staccato nature of this sweat induced post. 

Another long 6 months is coming to and end. As we look forward and see the end in sight, just two weeks away, and the promise of rest in the near future.

Suffering is part and parcel of our training. Add to the mix, small children and developing careers and suddenly the training will seem that much more challenging. Sitting across the aisle from it all, spectating as others fight to even get their training done brings a realization in to focus that when all you have is training to deal with, you have it quite easy. Admittedly, it is tiring and my body is most certainly the most displeased with me that it has ever been, however, when I tire I get to sleep and rest. I'm not awoken in the night by a restless child, or by the thoughts of a very important meeting in the morning. Whilst others work, I have the benefit of relaxing at home with the most challenging part of my day deciding which part of the house to clean. When we believe our lives are challenging and full of strife, sometimes it serves to take a moment to reflect and, although difficult and a little tiring, it's likely that somewhere in the world, someone else's life is far more difficult.

The trouble with tapering, is that old adage of idle hands. Luckily, we have our everyday lives that keep us busy. However, when you've been training 16hours a week for the last 4 weeks, although you embrace the rest that is afforded to you during tapering, the ironman athlete tends to get a little "fidgety" during the final two weeks. It's important to peer through the keyhole of your life and keep yourself busy around the house. Fortunately, from now until we leave for Couer D'Alene, our front door will be a revolving hotel door with visitors abounding and keeping us entertained for the next 10 days. Oh, and Napoleon is having the small shindig for 400 people that our gullible group of friends offered to help with. What were with thinking :) My dearest wife will turn the illustrious age of 35 which will also keep us occupied for most of next Sunday. The poor lady always seems to have her birthday around one of my races. How inconsiderate, I alway tell her ;) It will be a great send off for our 10 days of traveling that will take us from the western USA all the way to Europe....and back!

We've managed to truly get in to the lake and wade out in to the open water for some useful practice. Napoleon and Constitution like the "zigzag" approach to open water swimming. Quite frankly, we pay a lot to do this race, so might as well use the WHOL course! :) I will say though, a glassy lake, whilst the sun crests the horizon, truly is one of the most peaceful and relaxing ways to spend your morning. Truly special! The water is cool and crisp at a balmy 60 degrees fahrenheit. Rumour has it that Lake Couer D'Alene beautiful and normally chilly waters (it's glacial fed) are going to be warmer than usual this year. Great for the swim. Not so special for the run. As regular readers know, I can often me found hesitantly approaching a body of water, less than keen to discover what lies beneath. However, I truly am looking forward to this swim and it's beautiful surroundings. Here's hoping it's a day of weather to befit the geographical surroundings.

Once again, unfortunately, I find myself entering tapering with injuries that will effect my race. My knee is the culprit this time around. The good news it is making my hip pain pale in comparison. The bad news is that I suspect it will have quite the impact on the 3rd discipline of the day. Fortunately, it appears to have zero effect on swimming and biking. Unfortunately, there's a marathon at the end, which may show itself to be more of a death march than normal. I have been able to deal with the pain (don't panic! I am not running anymore) and hope a run walk strategy will allow me to get the job done. There is simply not a chance that I will miss this race, as long as my legs will carry me, I will be starting in two weeks. Some intelligent racing and good decisions (not including the one to race on a bad knee) will hopefully carry me to the finish. Even if it means that I finish just before midnight. So be it. I do not wish to let my charity, and all those who have contributed to it, down. I doubt there will be any PB/PR's out there on June 28th, but at least we will be there. Quite frankly, the race will be straight forward. Getting up at 7am the next day will be the hard part!

The tapering will really kick in this week. Just a 2-3 hour ride this Wednesday morning. After a good cleaning, "My Boy Blue" will be dropped off at the shipping shop, beginning it's journey out to Idaho. The good news is we don't have to dismantle and pack up the bike or reassemble on the other end. Makes the cost well worth it! Even though the week will provide a busy schedule outside of training, I'm looking forward to being pre-occupied with anything other than training. 

Challenges...they are what makes us

Challenges and failure allows us to develop in to the people we are today. Without these we lose the foundation of life that fills the bags of experience that we carry on our backs throughout each of our journeys. We must fail. It's simple. The Wright Bros. failed multiple times before achieving flight for the first time. Imagine if they had achieved flight with their first efforts. We would never have known all the multiple dynamics that are involved without theirs (and others) falling short of the grade the first few times.

Challenges can manifest themselves in many different ways and likewise their subsequent failures. So far, this week has been nothing but challenges. However, challenges that I may face will be completely different to challenges others could face that same day. In both cases, those hills that we must climb will continue to make us who we are in subsequent days. Those gradients are often less enjoyable than we would like. Mainly because they result in undesirable outcomes, or failures as we might perceive them to be. They may be small or grandiose in our own eyes. What we subsequently take away from those grand climbs in life will gives us the tools to attack tomorrow's.

Last weeks training began as normal. The first hard week or two before we dial it back and begin to taper. The long ride was a joy. Early, and very sleepy, start the morning. The wind was calm and temperature ideal. It couldn't have been a better day. 

105 miles later we were done. A quick change and out the door Maggy and I trotted for a short "transition run", during which my knee decided it was going to challenge me. Pain. Noticeable and unwelcome pain. No twisting, impacting or any of your typical knee induced trauma. Just the first few steps, like an ambush. It didn't prevent my striding, but it made it uncomfortable. Ice was applied and off we went to the pub :). The next day Constitution and I hit the cool, calm waters of our local lake for an early swim. Pristine swimming conditions would be an understatement.

It was gorgeous! However, just a few strokes in to the session and goggles began to leak and break. No spares were around and the session was very short lived. A decision to return that afternoon with fresh goggles (and spares) was made. The afternoon did not afford us the tranquility we had welcomed in the morning. High waves (for a lake) and healthy winds were now on the menu.  This was going to be a challenging swim. It went very well, despite the challenges of the choppy, green and cloudy lake water. It was this lake water that was to be the downfall and new challenge of the week. Despite my best efforts, I did sample some of the water that afternoon. Not a good vintage and one I don't recommend, and nor does my body. The body began a sit-in protest the next day. Despite my best efforts on Friday and Saturday, the the lake's inner secrets won over my stomach and body and knocked me for six. It was like watching your favourite boxer take a direct hit and kiss the mat. This took care of the rest of the weeks training. I did manage a painful 8 mile run Saturday morning, which was another failure of the week. Knee pain, coupled with knocking my immune system down further, made that run a key run for all the wrong reasons.

Now Tuesday has arrived and weakness remains from the bacteria that attacked the belly's inner musings. Slowly getting back, my body hacking through the mess that the fever left behind, finding it's way out in to clearer pastures. This challenge has enforced more of a taper that I would have liked. However, it will allow me to experience a new approach. It will also keep me from running. Something my knee would appreciate, along with my immune system. A positive: the timing is certainly better than last year, occurring 4 weeks from race day instead of 10 days.

There have indeed be many challenges followed by failures this week and the impact is undoubtedly still ongoing. However, it is for ourselves that we should welcome them, even if we don't set out the bunting and ticker tape parade for their arrival, because they will allow us self improvement for each day, and the next. The outcome may be cloudy and obscured initially, but it will clear as the sun comes up and sheds light on our better selves. This I truly hope is the case, but one I can not deny has shown itself to be many times in the past.

Good luck to us all!

P.s. This could not be more evident for English cricket. As I type, they are failing miserably at the challenges New Zealand are throwing their way!