This is it. Day 2 of a 12 week journey to Beijing. I've had 2 weeks 'off' since Cairns: a few spin classes with my wife, some yoga, a little from column a and a little from column b... no set plan. It has been good to reset the mind. Although I worry it has triggered a primal part of my brain. The part that would normally respond to the shorter days with less sunshine and warmth. The part that says "hibernate"... "eat more, stop moving and get some natural insulation around the middle"... It is going to take some killer motivational-carrots to dangle in front of me. The question is, what are they going to be?
Ok, so racing for Australia is quite inspiring. So plan A: keep this in mind. Ask myself how does an Australian representative train and then do it. But that will fade when the air is cold, it's dark and I am trying to convince myself that I can't think of anything better to do than jump in a swimming pool. So I think I need to build up a bank of plan B, C, D, etc so that when one fails there is a vault full of others that can quickly be withdrawn and used.
One that is working at the moment came to me last night. I was knocking out session 1, step 1 to Beijing - 2 hours on the bike. I was on the windtrainer and had Kung Fu panda playing. I had never seen it before, but something Po (THE panda voiced by Jack Black) said struck me...
"He was so deadly, in fact, that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!"
When I heard this it reminded me of hearing Pete Jacobs talk in Cairns. He was such an easy-going guy, but at the same time was professional and driven to succeed in all aspects of the sport. When he spoke, it was clear that he took the time to learn from each opportunity that arose; from the people he spoke to, from books, from races, from injuries... He spoke of his constant search for improving his technique, in his running, placement of his foot, in his swimming, hand entry, catch, his search to constantly evolve his ability to be more efficient and more effective. Yet he also spoke of listening to his body, doing what feels right on the day rather than locking himself too much into a pre-set plan. He commented that some days he would get in the pool and after a kilometer might get out if he's "just not feeling it". Ok, so that is probably not great advice for me as I don't have the swim base and ability that he does. Plus I would be tempted to use that as an excuse. But the rest was relevant. So I will remember Pete Jacobs when I feel like pulling the doona back over my head in the mornings. I will remember what a true professional acts like. I will remember that if I'm not smiling (for the most part anyway) then something needs to change.
So, 2 days in, 100% completion rate so far! A ride and a swim. And a Kung-fu panda in my vault of motivation. A good start to the week all-round really.
One that is working at the moment came to me last night. I was knocking out session 1, step 1 to Beijing - 2 hours on the bike. I was on the windtrainer and had Kung Fu panda playing. I had never seen it before, but something Po (THE panda voiced by Jack Black) said struck me...
"He was so deadly, in fact, that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!"When I heard this it reminded me of hearing Pete Jacobs talk in Cairns. He was such an easy-going guy, but at the same time was professional and driven to succeed in all aspects of the sport. When he spoke, it was clear that he took the time to learn from each opportunity that arose; from the people he spoke to, from books, from races, from injuries... He spoke of his constant search for improving his technique, in his running, placement of his foot, in his swimming, hand entry, catch, his search to constantly evolve his ability to be more efficient and more effective. Yet he also spoke of listening to his body, doing what feels right on the day rather than locking himself too much into a pre-set plan. He commented that some days he would get in the pool and after a kilometer might get out if he's "just not feeling it". Ok, so that is probably not great advice for me as I don't have the swim base and ability that he does. Plus I would be tempted to use that as an excuse. But the rest was relevant. So I will remember Pete Jacobs when I feel like pulling the doona back over my head in the mornings. I will remember what a true professional acts like. I will remember that if I'm not smiling (for the most part anyway) then something needs to change.
So, 2 days in, 100% completion rate so far! A ride and a swim. And a Kung-fu panda in my vault of motivation. A good start to the week all-round really.
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