It’s not that 20 mph on the bike is smokin’ fast, but it’s one of those things I strive for in the early season that allows me to feel like I’m on the right path and headed for faster days. It’s not that I necessarily seek out the 20 mph ride, but I hope it shows up and ideally over 20 miles. Well, I didn’t go 20 miles; I had to sneak in 10 miles due to time constraints which really prompted the 20 mph in the first place. I realized once I was about 2.5 miles into my ride and my cyclocomputer read 18.6 mph while going into the wind that if I picked up the pace, I might have a shot of breaking into the 20 mph range. So, it was go time. I huffed and I puffed and I put my head down until finally I reached the turn-around point. It was a relief to have a tailwind, albeit not much of one. I was movin’ right along, but I had to work for it. I told myself when I felt like I was slacking off the pace, “You know…’they’ don’t just GIVE these early season 20 mph efforts away, you’ve got to earn it”. With 1.5 miles to go my computer went from 19.9 mph to 20.0 mph. My next comment to myself was “Ok, you’ve got it, now hold on to it. Keep going!” In the last .2 I could feel the sweat dripping down my face, my heart racing, my lungs screaming, my legs pumping, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hold on to the pace. After cresting the final, very minor incline to our driveway, I looked down and saw that 20 mph remained on my computer. YES! Although I will look back at this and laugh later when I’m fitter and having 20 mph results with far less effort, it was outstanding to have reached the mark (albeit for 10 miles) in March.
And now it is time for something completely different.
It’s been difficult making time for swimming this year. The kids are very busy with a variety of activities, Maggie and I are busy with work, and we are both training. I’m not complaining, this is just how it goes during this time of year. I’m simply pointing it out because on this particular day I chose to run right after school, with a swim on tap right after. This way I could rush home so Maggie could take the girls to choir, after they finished their OM practice. Yeah, I know…craziness. Anyway, I got to the pool locker room, quickly changed, and started walking toward the showers. “Darn it,” I scolded myself because in my rushed state of mind I forgot to grab my earplugs. I then dug them out of my bag and started for the showers once again. This time I notice I was still missing something. Reprimanding myself was getting to be a bad habit…“Goggles! Darn it. Get it together man!” After digging in my bag longer, I realized I didn’t have them with me. “Sonuva’…!”
So now I’m swimming first with my eyes closed, but then I got nervous that I would plant my head into the wall, so I went to a one eye opened, one eye closed operation. Either way, it was just…not-so-good. I decided early that I would use the kickboard more today. Next my friend and fellow triathlete Tom shows up and commences to look at me sideways. This was not so much due to lack of neck muscles to keep his head straight, as much as wondering what the heck I was doing.
“Sam,” he said in an inquisitive tone, “are you trying something new without goggles today?”
Not having anything particularly clever to say to cover up my lack of preparedness, I simply said, “Yeah, the new thing is to remember my goggles next time.”
The moral of the story is: Measure twice, cut once…or something like that.
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