Sprint Fridays

It takes a while for some things to sink in, even when those things are our own thoughts. Sometimes the best way to let a thought sink in is to bring it up to surface, and let it speak to the world. Then when the world speaks back, we hear our thought from on different light. Things begin to sink in.

A week or two ago I spoke to a beginner triathlon group. The topics were: training, nutrition, and transition. Forecast . . . a little dry, so I decided to spice it up a little. The new topic: "Triathlon is comfortably uncomfortable."

It's a naturally uncomfortable situation. The beach, the bed, the breakfast table, these are comfortable situations.

The trick with triathlon, or anything for that matter, is to make the naturally uncomfortable situation comfortable.

First the easy things: wetsuit if the water's cold, shoes that fit, bike that fits, clothes that fit, the rest are just colorful toys.

The next step is a little more involved, although it requires much less.

At first, running for 7 minutes is a challenge. Then comes running fast for 7 minutes. How about a little faster? How about a little longer?

Shortly, the uncomfortable situation becomes comfortable.

Now the fun part, where we can jump ahead a few steps.

If this situation is uncomfortable, but will eventually become comfortable, what's the difference?

"Well, my breathing would be deeper if I were comfortable." You can control that.

"Well, my HR would be lower if I were comfortable." You can control that too!

To make an uncomfortable situation comfortable, we take control of our bodies. We decide what is comfortable.

Time for Sprint Friday's.

Rest well.

Leftovers are still my favourite,

Even when they're 7 months old.

Every week or so I like to clear out the fridge, give it a good wipe down, & toss the science projects. Back on #94 Steffler drive however, we used to let the petri dish go a little longer.

We had a fantastic deep freeze, stocked full of care packages sent from around the country: Finnish food from the Sault, salmon from Georgian Bay, venison from somewhere up North, and of course Christmas fruit cake from the West.

It worked out pretty well. Just as funds were drying up towards the end of semester, it was time to tap the deep freeze. Each year with OU's done, & Keskinada complete, we began to pull out the precious stockpile of packages.

The deep freeze was a great place to save just about anything. One night you could save a few bucks, the next perhaps tupperware sealed memories of a family feast. Often times the most valuable was a few extra minutes to study for the upcoming quiz.

This evening I stumbled across a yogurt container labeled "August 09 / Curried Chickpea Soup."

Leftovers are still my favourite.

Rest well.

superfun

Riding complete, yet the crank keeps spinning. It's spinning round and round, five more times around the clock before 10 pm.

Well, I feel recovered. May as well have another cup of coffee, saddle up & head out the door for some night training.

It's crazy how the mind starts to work during big builds.

In the midst of the block, a cup of coffee accompanied by 2 frog lights & a headlamp seems so much easier that trying to fall asleep.

That must be what happens when we charge the system with adrenaline for 3 weeks, then supercharge it for 4 more days.

The next challenge is turning off that supercharger. Close the flood gates. Repair, rebuild, and recharge.

Recovering is Training. Both are superfun.

Rest well.