training stuff
Why don’t I dance anymore
in the little cracks of the day
or follow my nose
when the air outside is saturated with morning pastries?
Each second is precious
and I’ve claimed this one already
But not for pastries
or dancing
maybe I can work it in three weeks from Tuesday
I used to turn the music up loud,
sing terribly with the windows open
Now I walk with headphones and avoid eye contact—
except with small eyes
Who look up at me, unwavering and curious
I feel both attacked and seen
2017 is shaping up to be an interesting year; I quit my job to start a new business in January, so I’ve been essentially “starting a business” for the last 3 months (aka still haven’t made money from said business). Which also means I’ve been unemployed for the last 3 months. You may think that means I’ve been training a ton, but I haven’t really been training any more then I did before. Mostly because starting a business is a full-ish time job, and also because I had no idea what I was going to be able to race until very recently.
I’m starting to see pictures of indoor trainer rides on Facebook; we’re 4 days in and I’m already feeling behind! Behind what I don’t know. Not behind other people’s sweaty butts at an indoor bike session, I can tell you that. Winter is for lifting heavy things, and that is what I’ve been doing. Weight lifting, strength training, agility…it feels good to move in any direction other then forward.
There’s a lot of advice out there from so-called productivity guru’s about getting things done. As someone who is perhaps slightly obsessed in maximizing every minute of my day, I think it’s fair to say I’ve read a lot of it.
I’ve used Ironman as an excuse to keep away from people this year. I haven’t really seen my friends and probably lost some friends, because I’ve avoided my usual social gatherings and rides. I didn’t do a single OBRA race this year which is often how I connect with people.
It’s funny now, looking back. Where I thought I could place, how fast I thought I could run. Honestly, my goals were just a way to keep me motivated to keep focused during training. I don’t think my goals were crazy, in terms of my potential as an athlete. But my goals were definitely a bit crazy in the sense that I’ve only been running and swimming consistently for about 11 months. That was pretty clear about 6 miles into the run.