May 12, 2008

Last Night I Dreamed.....


Last night I dreamed of an immaculate race and finish at Eagleman. No cramps in the swim. No head wind on the bike. And a cool day for the run. When I awoke I was bathed in sweat. The alarm clock had jarred me with the Stones' "You Can't Always Get Want You Want" blaring away. Coincidental or the sign of things to come? Race day is less than 4 weeks away.

May 08, 2008

Code Name: The Ninja

I train with a group of guys that call me the Ninja or what I do when I'm not training with them, Ninja Training. I call it trying to manage family obligations and get my swim, bike and runs in.

The hardest part to training is sticking to a schedule. At least for me it is. I can easily lose my focus and discipline. When you commute to work, discipline and organization are absolutely key. There are times when I meant to put my swimming gear in the car in order to hit the Y on the way home but forget. Meeting the guys after work for a ride is great but takes a lot of planning. All the gear should be loaded into the car the night before but do I do that? Of course not. So, I've resorted to what my friends call "being a Ninja." Special Secret Training that when race day comes should propel me to a great finish and have a special advantage over them. It's kind of a cool image but unfortunately, for me, it's not true. Being a Ninja is really about making compromises. My wife lets me ride because I'll be home at 10 instead of 10:30. Or it means I can get a 90 minute ride in instead of one for 60 minutes after work because I'm leaving from my house and not meeting the guys 30 minutes from my home.

But you know the thought of dressing in all black and running after the sun goes down is one I can live with. It's appealing. It makes me mysterious and I like that notion. Of course when race day comes, the truth comes out. I finish where I always finish and I didn't need any secretive training to do it. But for now, its cool to live my training life as a Ninja.

May 06, 2008

To Write or to Train? That's the Question.

Writing is sometimes tougher than training. I mean what would you rather do? Sit down at your computer with a hot cup of coffee dreaming up words to put together in some semblance of sanity. Or head out at 6 AM on another cool, dreary supposedly Spring day in the northeast for a 50 mile bike? If you knew me and what this year has been like, you would think it was the former. But if you stumble onto this blog, you might think the latter. I seem to be on a blog writing holiday. In any event, Eagleman will be a blood bath. I do think I have enough base training and enough time to lessen the pain. But overall, it won't be pretty.