motivation...

As i am in a transition period of my training. Meaning, i am trying to get over the little niggles i am feeling in my legs by not running (again). As well as beginning my base phase for the cycling and swimming. I have been comtemplating my reasons for doing what i do and this is what i have come up with:

1. I like being in shape both by looking fit (six pack and the like)and by being able to ride 40+miles, swim daily and run half marathons without much second thought.

2. I think about going fast and i like the feeling, so training helps me get faster and therefore live the 'fast' dreams.

3. I like competition. Training helps me be competitive where most people could never be and i feel truly blessed for that ability.

The problem i am facing is the fact that i have no long term goals. Sure the olympics would be great, Ironman too. But, i am not sure i could stay motivated for 4 years to, perhaps, be disappointed. I am the kind of person who waits til a week or two before a race to sign up so i know i really want to do it. Until this last fall, I hadn't specifically trained for a race for more than a month. Its usually a spur of the moment decision whether to race or not.

The bottom line of this problem is: how am i going to keep myself motivated to swim everyday, run everyday or bike everyday, let alone do all of them multiple times every week? So far i have had mediocre success with local races and a general natural ability pull me to the finish line, usually in a high placing. But a top-5 finish in a local race is nothing campared to be top-5 in a high class field of racers. I can see myself being a great athlete, but how do keep myself motivated to reach that goal? And what exactly is that goal? Olympian? Ironman? Until i figure that out, i feel like it is an endless struggle to keep myself motivated.

Time flies...

What happened to these days?

More snow...

Last wednesday, one week ago from today, I was running in short sleeves and shorts. I believe the temperature that day was close to 60 degrees, 57 i think. Absolutely gorgeous. Most of the snow from the previous christmas holiday storms was gone and sunny portions of the trails were mostly dry and firm again. And then...

28inches of snow, hours of shoveling and a rare snowday at NAU later, i am wiped. Mentally and Physically. I literally shoveled hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of snow the last couple of days from our driveway. My shoulders, back, abs, and forearms are all sore. I took a day off from swimming today because even if i wanted to swim it would be a wasted workout because of my aching muscles. I was asleep last night at 8pm. Lame. I know.

Mentally, i was stoked for the trails to be back open. I am not really a fan of running on the streets (although i will do it out of necessity). And the streets aren't all that safe anyway. Ice and cars tend to keep me off the asphalt.

Good news is, my dad will probably not be gone fighting fires this summer as much. And, we desperately need the moisture.

Nothing much...

Not much happening here.

A couple days late, but the Cardinals lost and the whole of Arizona sighed at being so close to a championship winning state again. The weather is nice, pending a horrible snow storm predicted for this weekend. I, after a few weeks, have finally found a routine around my school schedule to train. And i missed out on signing up for the Desert Classic Duathlon this last weekend because of being sold out. I tend to wait until the last minute to sign up, just to make sure I am really going to be ready. It doesn't bode well for these kinds of races that sell out early.

Its a bummer that I am not racing in February, but there are some upsides. One of the silver linings means i don't have to spend money to race or travel. Without having a job for the next couple of months, its nice not spending so much money. Secondly, I am not feeling pressured to be physically ready for it.

Next race is the Tempe International Triathlon in May. It will be my first olympic distance triathlon and if training goes well, it could be a break-out triathlon for me. And i will make sure i sign up early for it. ;)