Inspiration and Frustration

Written 30th March 20110

Talk about cranky. After a recent good period of sustained training (see previous blog) today I went for a bike ride and was feeling very pleased with myself. I was going pretty fast – 24-25kph average over a 40km hill circuit - and then, without any warning, on the way up the last hill a fat bloke on a bike went flying past me and shattered my good feeling. So much for going fast! To make matter worse, when I weighed myself this morning I’d put on a kilo over the last week. Yep, cranky. It felt like all my hard work was getting me nowhere.

In need of inspiration and motivation I searched the web and found a fantastic blog of a passionate female triathlete from San Diego. I recommend her site - it’s full of exceptional insights, very honest reflections and excellent writing into the life of a committed distance athlete. Rachel’s stories of her ultra runs and half ironman events – see Diary of an Amateur Triathlete - puts my challenge and my journey back into perspective. In particular I now realise I should not worry about people going past me ‘cause all of us are a long way from the life and the achievements of a distance athlete.

Her stats are staggering. Apart from everything else, her bike cruising speed of 25 MILES PER HOUR i.e. over 40kph, is staggering and sobering – She not only achieves this incredibly fast speed, she does it after a long swim and while keeping herself fresh for a long run. And she’s an amateur. Wow! These triathletes are amazing!

Now I realise I am way older than her, and not blessed with natural athlete genes so there’s no point in trying to match Rachel’s stats. It does mean I have to get serious about getting to my target of 30kph average on the bike AND I now know I have to greatly improve my endurance fitness and my overall strength. Reading Rachel’s blog has made me realise I am only at the beginning of this journey. This is both motivational for me and also sobering.

Overall, I know I very much want to achieve my goals, and to build a new life. So I must put my head down, stay focused on this year’s goals, train hard and see where it takes me.

I also need to enjoy it. Have fun James! It’s a journey and an adventure

More later, journey on
James





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