2018 - 08 December - Check-in!

Wearing Noxgear 360 in Dover Delaware, after my Dukes of Hazard hood of a car slide. yup...

Checkin' IN!!!

So, a wee bit of excitement as I was rolling to a store late last night. Admittedly, it isn't something I like to do on Sunday. You see, in my faith based choice, that is considered breaking the Sabbath. Thing is, I was to travel the next morning and my wife needed something. My going to the store made it a way for me to make her tomorrow easier. So, with the on-going unexpected snow storm, I was entering the parking lot with the new car. As I did so, gratefully, there were no vehicles at the entrance because it was so slippery that traction control didn't engage and then I got to work myself out of a fishtail with a Yukon Denali XL - AWD. The AWD failed. Next up was getting into our driveway at home. Spoiler alert, the shuttle driver had similar problems and I just walked down and jumped on the shuttle. Man, that slipping really caught my attention.

So how does this correlate to my training. If I knew nothing about the psychological concept of 'transference' I wouldn't even think about the connections. In training, there are things in life, work, family and all other things the least of which training where it just explodes in a stress ball. It's how we act, react or be pro-active that truly matters. While I was slip sliding away into the wal mart parking lot after a tailgater allowed me to be pushed too hot into the lot, I had to simply react without panic. For me, that tends to be where I excel - on the ledge, in the middle of the experience. When I needed to let my wife know of those things, this being a new vehicle, that's where I struggle the most. Sure I told her, but a wee bit of conflict of when and how.

Sounds like training, sounds like taking or making or abstaining from a choice. That being said, it's in the crucibles where the mental stabilities are gained. It's not through epic amazing leaps. It's from persistent and thorough boredom at times that yields the most consistent of outcomes. Like a good person I tend to listen to said "copy and paste"!

Then during the second event, I couldn't get into my driveway. Instead of panicking, which I almost did - lesson learned from 70.3 IM St George, I walked things back and took a re-do. Sometimes, that yields the most direct options for changing the equation you were just trying to solve. I was able to introduce a small amount of change, measure it, and it worked the first time.

So it is with training. I am trying to dig up the things I did in my build up to my most successful 70.3. In that event, I think I can find great wisdom, as the follow up year I changed too much, and with the added variable of wind, I couldn't keep up with my nutrition. But what I can do, is look at where I am at now, look at the previous execution and align as much of that as possible. Once I have done all that, then I can focus on the fumble, nutrition and mental weakness. Time is irrelevant in this exercise as that will occur, what I have to execute tho is nutrition and try to control or adapt to the thins I just can't control. Instead of destroying the bike for me on course, I need to find ways to gain incrementally in training and then I can let that spill into the event.

Alright, time to land, will circle back...

So, The above was penned while I was on the plane from SLC to PHL. Now with a work week between and now I am flying back from SLC to DTW to SLC. Its great to be going home for the remainder of the calendar year.

So, my current training focus is swimming. I am planning on swimming 3 -4 x's a week with a few slow 5K runs as I can. It's time to simplify, focus and concentrate on dialing in nutrition. I had a solid week trying the 'keto' nutrition option. Once I see this works, I need to re-evaluate and determine if I go completely fat adapted, or if the keto flu catches me and requires re-calibration.

A few lessons learned from the week. I have been reading from the book by Craig L manning called "The Fearless Mind". It speaks about 'cockiness' and the concept that it isn't arrogant, but albeit annoying, the tendency is to tell people about one's confidence and build them self only. Well, It was like reading about me in certain stages of life. I caught myself this week. It also addresses the concept of being passive. I know that I am passive aggressive, and I am trying to move from that to being more confidently assertive. Before I read this, this morning, I got in front of a few situations. I am dealing with a few difficult and entertaining situations in the work place in my responsibilities. I have a few arrogant folks, a lot of passive folks, and one or two cocky folks. Trying to address the situations and the individuals appropriately is an interesting challenge. Coming away from my last major engagement and commitment to the one customer has been difficult to pull away from and re-frame and be flexible correct in this area.

Switching gears a bit. A think, I need to simplify and focus a bit on the following in training:

Swim Focus throughout the remainder of the year

Pull Buoy oriented, and drive my swim fitness to 1 mile plus swim ALL The TIME

Supplement with light and Z2 5 k runs (stay in the 30 - 35 minute time frame)
Bike on Trainer

When the above won't work, let's get on the bike for feel up (30 - 45 mins)

Then after the new year - construct a plan to May - for the IM 70.3 in St George. I feel its time for me to let STRAVA go. It's toolkit is not as enriched as Training Peaks and Garmin Connect. I had the experience this week where a customer colleague said that she did a 5k, the sheepishly said it was 1 hour 10 minutes. My response was - ;what's wrong with that'? She looked at me, and then said 'Mr. Shane, you are probably so much faster'. So I responded 'Yes, I am - but I am NOT you! And you did AWESOME it sounds like'. She was flabbergasted, b/c I didn't pander to her self-doubt, rather I encouraged her with the facts of where she was at, and I invited her when I come back in Jan, to come out with me. She honestly is considering it. It was with work, the highlight of my week and work. It wasn't about me, but seeing someone see that they have hope for them without comparing them to me. HOW MUCH HAS changed. I got to see that I am hopefully no longer that 'Douche Canoe' of cockiness. It was a growth experience I got to see e in me.

SO, circling back. This blog isn't for anyone really but me. I've turned it to chronicle my journey and my path. I am able to look back at times and review where I am at. Times are there when I can look back and reflect and remind myself of how far I have come, and others where there have been little steps. This last year has been rough. I had to pivot from a lot of focus into me, and triathlon. I was burning out, and gratefully, family need was there to provide me a safe space to fall and focus. My weight doesn't agree with the former, however, this year I have been able to concentrate on Liz, Dennis, Juniper and Astrid. It was the right thing to do at the time. Now, as I know my wife, Liz, gave me a hard line the other day to swallow, it's time to find the balance of me and family. That being said. I need to help her find a solid sleep routine with Astrid and life. Currently the swim block focus is the most pliable. I'm also excited to get back in the 'sanctuary'. I find out about my shoulder Monday, fingers crossed that there are not unexpected things that come from it.

Well, other things. Astrid and Juniper are colliding as little sisters. There is a lot of sibling love and rivalry happening there. Dennis graduated into being an 'official' teenager. Liz and I are still struggling to grow up. Family life isn't perfect, it isn't meant to be, but somewhere we are finding and growing love, trust and family. I have been able to visit with Liz's mother and Father working in Delaware lately and I got to get a picture with my two nephews. It's always funny how I travel nearly 2500 miles, and then I am asked to travel more to meet other. Sorry, I just flew across the country, assert a little effort and come my way. My current commute is 90 minutes from cache valley to SLC airport, then fly a couple different ways to PHL, then drive another 90 minutes or so. So when I drive into Philly from Dover, after a pretty high stress work week, another 30 - 90 minute drive is a bit over the top.

Well Holidays are in full swing and of course I have decided to address nutrition during this time. It's time for me to become more focused and reduce things. So, I grabbed an app called Senza. That allows me to track and see macros, net carbs and try to stay in line and re-discover nutritional discipline and consistency. Hopefully that will help as I seek to fuel myself appropriately to help with the load of endurance sports. What a fool I was to leap last winter to try to do a 100 mile endurance run. But what I did see in that 'foolishness', was that I am able to take on the longer distances again and is I do them in a manner that is slow, consistent, and with purpose, I can really find joy in it. Running is still the most destructive effort for me compared to the swim and bike and other. I need to sprinkle in some strength, and I think I will turn to the row machine. I need to see if there is anything with my shoulder that will prevent me from doing that. SO, if it will be beneficial I think long rows will be an overall good thing. I just need to identify what will be best in the mix of things.

Well then. It's interesting to adventure through this thing called life. Liz needs sleep and I will see what I can do to help her find a better balance there. Dennis, Juniper and Astrid are overall healthy and we are trying our best as parents to not destroy them when we parent them. It's an exercise that yields growth, right?

Ok, I think this is a good check-in and a bit more in depth than my typical this is what I am training and such. I did let my Training Peaks subscription lapse and I am going back to the free version. So if anyone knows of a 40% code - please let me know. Alright - Until the next one!