Summer of Sweat: Part Two

July 4th, 2015 (Englewood, FL) - Training is a process of self-discovery. This is where you feel out your limits and work beyond them. It's the self-study part we need to pay attention to. In this update about my CX training summer of sweat I'm taking note of the some the things I'm learning about myself. In addition I'm training my wife Terri and I have quite a bit to learn about that process as well.

Why Easy is Never Easy - My tendency towards intensity has to be bound with sturdy strings. This first week is all about habit so we're talking low reps and easy pace. However, there is always an evil little bird humming in my ear saying, "You can do more." No matter how many times you try to swat this bird, it keeps coming back. Resisting that temptation is the difference between floating and drowning. When floating you might not be going very fast but at least you're above water. This is the explanation for why easy is never easy, it keeps you busy.

Don't be Tripin - Personal Records (PRs) are our measuring sticks for progress. However, if you rack your limbs climbing a mountain on the first day then you could miss a week of training while trying to recover. This is especially true for older athletes. I'm 42 so setting low hurdles keeps me from getting tripped up. This works for beginners as well. What we do is conquer several small goals that can all be built up over time into bigger ones.

You Can Do it! - Remember when you first watched Rocky 4? Those training montages were powerful, they made you want to train. Lately, watching weight lifting videos on Youtube is one of my big motivators. Barbell Shrugged, Crossfit and GRID videos are the best! I also discovered that they work well for Terri. She watched an emotional Crossfit competition video like the one above and was excited to exercise afterwards.

Blowing Up with a Smile - Probably the best lesson this week was taught to me by a friend. Gary Vasbinder is the owner of Real Bikes Englewood, a local bike shop. He was leading a MTB group ride at the Palmetto Trail in Myakka State Forest on Tuesday night. Gary was at the front of the ride setting a killer pace for the rest of us to follow. I did my very best to keep rippin, giving 110% for the first 6 or 7 miles before I blew up. I soft pedaled the rest of the way back and felt awful about my performance. That was until Gary said that he blew up with about a mile to go. Really? All that time I felt weak because I couldn't maintain at such a high level but here was the fastest guy saying he had also hit the wall. That made me realize that no one has it easy out there. We are all struggling. All of us are pushing hard and as a result we are all getting faster.

My First Week of Sessions

MTB Singletrack Group Sprint - 10 Miles

CX Standing Sprints - 6 Miles for 8reps

Stationary Bike - 1 Hour

Total Running - 2 Miles

Total Jumping Jacks - 700

Total Strength Training - 1 hour 50 min

Additional physical activity - 55min

If you enjoyed reading this post be sure to check out my book Twisted Trails

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