February 19, 2007

Inseparable

Last week I was in a funk of uncertain etiology. Maybe it was the training hours starting to add up, or maybe it was the kids needing a little more attention and chaperoning than normal. Maybe it was just one of those weeks...


There are times in life when you have to stop thinking of all the reasons that you should or could or would do something, and you just need to shut up and do it.


I used to be a thinker. Or maybe I am still a thinker, I am just learning to suppress it.

Every decision, every fork in the road I would analyze with the detail of an archaeologist whispering away the flecks of sand from a 20,000 year old skeleton. I wouldn't order from a menu without reading EVERY single option, including a perusal of the dessert menu just in case I needed to plan on extra room for an irresistible treat (oh and believe me, I need to!). I wouldn't go to the gym without asking myself a million times why don't you just sit down and drink a beer and watch the football game like every single one of your friends?


But things are changing. Circumstances are changing. Goals are changing. Me, I'm not changing; but I am adapting to the changes around me.


I look forward to the gym like never before. I'm talking about 3 trips to the gym yesterday - yep, count 'em, a morning stretching-core routing, then home to fuel, then back for a swim session, then off to meet some friends for lunch, then one last time for a dreadmill run prior to work.... Unheard of for me... 3 workouts in one day! I must be effing insane!


[Which reminds me of one of the better lines from the movie Breach, in theatres now... Hannsen says of himself, "I must be either insanely brave, or just plain insane, or maybe both..." Check out the movie if you get a chance...]


But back to the thinking. One of our fellow tri-bloggers taught me a while back to just stop thinking about that which you have to do, and do it. I can sit here all day and think of a million reasons why I should skip my swim today, or I can get off my ass and go swim. Know what? I don't think about it anymore, I just swim.


And that, my friends, is progress. When you are able to do what needs to be done without trying to talk yourself out of it, without sitting at that fork for 20 minutes trying to reinvent daily why you are on this journey, you are becoming inseparable from your goals.


And that is what I want... I want to be so ingrained in what is important to me right now; teaching and loving my kids, helping those who are suffering, and training for the upcoming Ironman season, that I am inseparable from it.


Man this is going to be one helluva spring and summer! I can. not. wait. for my first 70.3, the Florida Half Ironman in May! Train on, my brothers and sisters, and thanks for joining me for My Daily Spin.

13 comments:

Cliff said...

Just saw your race schedule..two IM?

Impressive. I look forward to hearing your experience with IM Switzerland.

RunBubbaRun said...

I think we just have to listen to ourselves sometimes. A "creature of habit." works best I think.

"Do, or do not, There is no try" ~ Yoda ("The Empire Strike Back")

Good luck at FL. half IM.

Lisa said...

That bbb, he makes the rest of us feel guilty! Things do work best for me when I just follow my routine without thinking about it. Glad the funk is gone!

M said...

OMG. You have such a great outlook. I am glad to hear you are moving past the funk. It seems to be going around these days...

I, too, tend to analyze things until they disintegrate in front of my eyes (which often results in procrastination, hence the blog). And the gym three times in one day? "Crazy," maybe, but "dedicated" and "focused" might fit better. Well-played, Trijack, well-played.

BTW, saw Breach last night - I liked it, but I was slightly disappointed at the way they portrayed Hanssen, who came across as slightly dumb, for someone who was supposed to have been such a mastermind of deceit. Maybe it was the movie's way of portraying his ultimate breakdown and demise. Who knows.

Keep it up and good luck in the races!

Robin said...

"Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay it's price."--Sun Tzu

The steps you take every day are carrying you in the direction of your dreams. Sometimes the funks come and go, like seasons or the waxing and waning of the moon. Hang with it and your time will come around.

Doris said...

Blimey - kids, physician, ironman????.... more like superman! Happy training! Never again will I think I don't have time to train! Best of luck - particular IM Switzerland I know some people doing that one and they reckon it's a beauty!

SingletrackJenny (formerly known as IronJenny) said...

Glad you are out of your funk... if you think of all you ACCOMPLISH in every single given week - it can certainly can get overwhelming. Your kids are very lucky that you are who you are.
(and so are we! - we love your blog out here!)
Jenny

Afternoon Tea With Oranges said...

True, very true! Reminds me of something else I've always heard:

"Hesitation will kill you."

Not sure where it came from, but it's very true!

Glad you are doing better this week.

Di said...

May 20 Orlando? Blow it off and come do the Mad Dog with us!!! Way more fun!!!! :)
Di

TriGirl 40 said...

I can relate to the feeling of relief when training becomes less of an internal debate and more of a habit. But I can also relate, all too well, to the serious menu scrutiny - and needing to hear what everyone else is ordering before making my choices. Congrats on the exciting training progress.

momo said...

you have a lot on your plate, and on top of it, you're training for an IRONMAN and that is a fulltime job in itself. training is an ebb and a flow. you will have good weeks and bad weeks, weeks when you want to be out there and weeks where it is a chore. it just realizing that and remembering (during the bad) that you'll have a good week and that can pull you through.

hang in there, you are doing AWESOME!

LoneStarCrank said...

"When you are able to do what needs to be done without trying to talk yourself out of it.."

That is what it is all about. Funk is good sometimes.... keeps you realizing that keeping all of this going isn't easy -- but definitely worth it! Keep at it!

Joy | Love | Chaos said...

When a lifetime of wise decisions convert to instinct...

...that's a beautiful thing.