I love incremental progress.....it's arguably one of the most important forces in my life......being a guy with pretty lofty goals in general, and more specific to this blog, RED-iculous goals in triathlon, it keeps me focused on the long term, and yet adds fuel to the motivational fire required to stay after it. Being a generally inpatient person, it has tempered me enough to not feel the frustration of not getting "there" fast enough, and yet, at the same time, not allowed me to sink into the despair of not knowing when I'll be "there" at all.
The good news on this front is that most of the research on great achievements (and the people who own them) makes it very clear that a continuous and deliberate, stubborn and almost fanatical focus on making incremental progress in the areas of need (often referred to as "limiters" in endurance sports) is a habit that heavily weighs the odds in your favor. Whew! That's great news.....not only because it gives me something clear which I can point my more obvious neuroses toward, but rather, because it says I'm eventually going to get there if I just keep at it long enough......yes.
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| The offending irritant |
So this week I got back in the saddle, back in the pool and even (to the dismay of my R achilles) got two short runs in. 5 of the last 7 days making small investments of time and effort. Nothing special really, but started putting some energy back into building the routine and happy about doing it. It even included a trail run today, which was really enjoyable (I've thrown my name in as a member of a 50 miler in the Spring), at least until I realized that I had a nice chunk of eye-bark to remove. Out now, and, not-so-surprisingly, not blinking nearly as much!
I'm still not (mentally) ready to sit down and pour over the details to determine my exact plan for the next 6-12 months....but that won't matter a ton for the next few weeks.
To momentum and beyond!
Mike E.
Raise your hand if you were glued to a computer yesterday watching the livestream of Ironman World Championships in Kona? Seriously, raise your hand........wait, I'm the only one with my hand up.......again........
Alright, I'll wear it proud, I watched pretty much uninterrupted from when the Pro's started filtering into T2......and I LOVED it. Love being the key word there, as winner Pete Jacobs so clearly described in his speech. It was a good one, with lots of different subplots along the way......but this year the real battle royale was the women's race. With "Chrissie" out of it for the year it was anyone's race, but the favorite had to be Mirinda Carfrae (AUS).....but give it up for Leanda Cave who was just tough as nails.
Anyway.....not having much to report out on since my last note, life is as hectic and crazy as ever, however little training is getting done. So here's the quick catch-you-up:
- Ran on a tow path and strained my R Achilles tendon
- Nursed it for a couple of weeks and was feeling better
- Tried to run on it about a week ago.....immediately flared....DARN
- Have done a few light lifts and a bike ride here or there
- Have continued to nurse the Achilles, which I am giving more respect to now that there are obvious signs of more severe strain
- Have largely given up on a Dec marathon as my longest run in the last 6 weeks has been 8 miles and the Achilles is giving me 3-4 at best
- Have continued to chase some soccer kids around the globe (or the tristate area at least)
Where does that leave me now? Well....after watching Kona and wishing I was there, I decided that it was time to get back to a more formal plan. So I dusted off the trainer, secured the bike and put it right in front of my face where I will see it every day.....and 30 minutes later, I realized......things are not where they should be, but could be worse.
To be continued.....
Mike E.
