Wisdom from @TheRock
It's been an interesting week. Earlier in the month I was visiting the BMO Vancouver Marathon website and I saw the big graphic up top that said "Less Than 100 Days To Go".
Every race it's been the same. Training starts out feeling like the final day is eons away. This morning, seeing that we are 79 days away, it's a great reminder that the time for "taking this lightly" has passed.
I recently saw this tweet from Dwayne Johnson. Even with this latest experience of being an "official" race blogger, it's sometimes difficult to keep the message simple. Like "The Rock" says, much of life comes down to one battle: YOU vs. YOU.
One of my teammates recently told me that I have "every excuse NOT to do this", but I don't see it that way.
There was a time in my life (I think I've spoken about it either here or on an episode of the podcast) where making excuses was just too easy. I was lazy, and perhaps unmotivated. Today, I look back at that past version of myself with a smidge of disdain. Those days, I was a loser, and what made me a loser was the fact that I allowed excuses to stand in my way.
Every race it's been the same. Training starts out feeling like the final day is eons away. This morning, seeing that we are 79 days away, it's a great reminder that the time for "taking this lightly" has passed.
I recently saw this tweet from Dwayne Johnson. Even with this latest experience of being an "official" race blogger, it's sometimes difficult to keep the message simple. Like "The Rock" says, much of life comes down to one battle: YOU vs. YOU.
One of my teammates recently told me that I have "every excuse NOT to do this", but I don't see it that way.
There was a time in my life (I think I've spoken about it either here or on an episode of the podcast) where making excuses was just too easy. I was lazy, and perhaps unmotivated. Today, I look back at that past version of myself with a smidge of disdain. Those days, I was a loser, and what made me a loser was the fact that I allowed excuses to stand in my way.
The fact of the matter is, stuff happens. To be completely honest, the weather, the wind, the snow, the ice... all these things have made this training season an incredibly trying one for me. The Edmontonian attitude is "if you don't like it, then why do you live here?", but I think we can all admit that it's more than just that. It's tremendously discouraging some days to wake up to a blizzard and know you have to go out there and eek out a run. Fortunately, the end of winter is in sight... I hope.
To add to that, if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may notice that I keep myself busy. Between all my online fun, there's a radio station to build, and that is no easy task. Add to that a busy volunteer schedule and a fundraising campaign, and I could easily use schedule as a reason to take my training less than seriously.
The best way to compensate for these shortcomings is to give it my all when I'm out there. It hasn't been easy, but I've still noticed some improvements this season. I'm not at my "optimum", but I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with how I'm performing out there. Last Saturday, it was almost like a different world when during a 2hr 20min Long Slow Run, something in my body seemed to "let go", and I finally started to get a real groove going.
To add to that, if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may notice that I keep myself busy. Between all my online fun, there's a radio station to build, and that is no easy task. Add to that a busy volunteer schedule and a fundraising campaign, and I could easily use schedule as a reason to take my training less than seriously.
The best way to compensate for these shortcomings is to give it my all when I'm out there. It hasn't been easy, but I've still noticed some improvements this season. I'm not at my "optimum", but I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with how I'm performing out there. Last Saturday, it was almost like a different world when during a 2hr 20min Long Slow Run, something in my body seemed to "let go", and I finally started to get a real groove going.
My pal Jeff, Coach Charles and I covered a lot of real estate throughout Edmonton, and we did manage to find a lot of what we Edmontonians call "hills" (lay off Vancouverites, we're doing the best with what we got lol!).
Actually, taking on the river valley here in Edmonton provides many great inclines, which can kick your ass if you aren't smart about how you take them. Even after a monster of an incline (not quite Prospect Point, but still an almost 2K uphill), I managed to find a decent pace and even push enough to keep up to Jeff and Charles as best I could.
By the end of the run, we were all feelin' it in our legs. The pain is a scary thing for some, but for me it's the ultimate reward for a job well done.
As we start counting the days down together, I hope you're all finding your pace, and that it's still fun for you. Most importantly, if you're reading this and you're on the fence about joining us, the BMO Vancouver Marathon crew sent out a release saying that the event is over 80% sold out! Whether it's your first endurance event or a course you've never tried, I can't recommend this race enough! Hope to see you out there, and keep it up!
Remember: It's You vs. You... one of you has to win!
As always, I'd love to hear from you! Please leave your comments, suggestions, etc by commenting below! Thanks!
Actually, taking on the river valley here in Edmonton provides many great inclines, which can kick your ass if you aren't smart about how you take them. Even after a monster of an incline (not quite Prospect Point, but still an almost 2K uphill), I managed to find a decent pace and even push enough to keep up to Jeff and Charles as best I could.
By the end of the run, we were all feelin' it in our legs. The pain is a scary thing for some, but for me it's the ultimate reward for a job well done.
As we start counting the days down together, I hope you're all finding your pace, and that it's still fun for you. Most importantly, if you're reading this and you're on the fence about joining us, the BMO Vancouver Marathon crew sent out a release saying that the event is over 80% sold out! Whether it's your first endurance event or a course you've never tried, I can't recommend this race enough! Hope to see you out there, and keep it up!
Remember: It's You vs. You... one of you has to win!
As always, I'd love to hear from you! Please leave your comments, suggestions, etc by commenting below! Thanks!
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