Not What You Think

Hi. It’s Laura.

 

If you have ever wondered about the creative process about writing a training blog. I am here to clear things up for you. There isn't one.

 

Every day I go out for a run, my mind gets to wander.  The thinking process usually starts with how bad the first mile sucks, assessing how tired I am or am not, am I properly dressed, can I get a quick signal on the GPS watch, and so forth.

 

Once the run actually begins, the first mile does suck. It always does and I don't know why. Usually by the time I hit mile three the aches and pains have subsided, breathing is regulated.  During mile one, I seem to always drag a bit probably knowing what the distance is ahead of me. I try to put it out of my head by searching for a subject to write my blog. I skip the most obvious as it is already about triathlon training. Should I write about sneakers? Breathing technique? VO2 Max? Boring! Boring and complicated.  How about swimming technique or tools to use in the pool? Complicated and boring.  Maybe cycling cadence or slicks vs. knobby tires? Irrelevant and irrelevant.  

 

By mile two I have settled down a bit and whatever subject I had in my head is now gone. As I enter the third mile, whatever was really on my mind tends to surface. The next two, four or six miles is used to solve the problem whether it is an issue with The Husband, work related or suffering animals. It gets worked out during a run.  I am always surprised by this.  Why doesn't this happen in the pool or on the bike. Until it did happen on the bike. 

 

I can rarely split my focus in the pool for the simple fear of drowning. I am also still pretty new to the sport and really need to focus on everything while going through my drills.

 

I thought I was pretty focused on the bike until today.  Since I ride on the streets sharing focus with your thoughts can be a tad dangerous.  I am always keeping my eye out for potholes, pedestrians, parked cars, buses (I believe all bus drivers need to go back to driving school) and where to go.

 

I know you won't be surprised by this but my blog isn't about triathlon training at all. Yes I am training for a triathlon but its more about the life that gets in the way of triathlon training.

 

All week long our building has been telling us that they will turning off the water on Thursday. You have no idea how much you use during the day until you don't have it. Can we say flushing toilets?

 

Of course, Thursday is the only day this week I have evening plans outside the home.  It took a huge effort of planning to get all my workouts in BEFORE they turn off the water at 9am.  After my workouts, I would like to take a shower and look nice for my evening out. If there is no water there is no shower.  Let's add I am still new to this neighborhood and although my dinner is at 6pm, I need to leave long before then to get there. Taking a shower after 5 is not an option.

 

The plan: out on bike by 6:00am. I only have an hour ride so I should be able to get a ride in and make it back by 7:00am to get to the pool by 7:30 and again fortunately for me I have a shorter swim today.  This is all not exactly true.  I looked at my schedule for the week and picked the two shortest ones so I could get it all in.  The only thing that could get in the way of my plan would be something mechanical, i.e. a flat tire, a car crash.

 

Wednesday night I checked the weather for Thursday morning.  COLD! Rassen frassen.  WIND! (Fill in expletive here) ______________!  This is going to suuuuck.

 

I suck it up. I have no choice. If I want to do a triathlon, I have to do the work regardless of what the weather is outside.  So I get to it.  I go about laying all my gear out for 43-degree ride with 24 mph winds. What does that include you ask? Everything from head covers to shoe covers, I look like I was going to hit the slopes.  I next setup my swim gear, not nearly as complicated.

 

The alarm goes off at 5:15am but not before The Husband and I were woken up by the cat. I will spare you the biological details. I grab some coffee and look out the window. It is dark. Really dark. Too dark. I can't go out on a bike in the dark. It’s bad enough it’s cold. I recheck the weather, perhaps it has changed. 46 feels like 36 with wind 13 mph wind chill.  Ugh.  I dress, I ride.  Knowing that I had limited time, I stuck to the route that I know.

 

I did think about writing my blog this morning while I was out on a ride but not what you might be thinking.  The ride was not bad, other than the wind and the cold. Up and over to the Hudson. I know I am going to have to climb the W181st hill and I am dreading it. Have you ever worked so hard that your lungs burned? That is this hill.  Anyway, that is the way back and I am still headed south with about five minutes left before it was time to turn around.  I then come to a complete stop and say out loud: "you can't make this shit up"

 

 

 

Yep that is a tree laying across the entire path.

 

I turned around to head back but not before I’d decided to use this opportunity to share with you a part of my early morning ride.

 

 

 

 

 

Other than the tree, the ride was incident free.  I made it home just after 7:00am, turned right around and headed to the pool.

 

All tasks complete by 8:30. I was able to shower before they shut off the water.  I did wonder what shutting off the water means.  In our old building, water off meant nothing. There always seemed to be water left in the tank. Apparently here no water means NO WATER, hence the words no water.

 

Enjoy the weekend!

 

Laura