I had two days off from training due to my mental and physical breakdown on Thursday. So on Saturday I took the kids out to lunch. Then we went to the zoo. Then we went to a birthday party. In the end I was more pooped than if I had simply trained all day.
At the zoo we saw all sorts of cool animals, including:
- a cool camel named Humphrey who the kids rode
- little ponies that Lara decided she wanted to adopt
-a tiger that paced back in forth in front of us in a really agitated way
-a boa constrictor that the zoo dude took out for us to see and touch.
-a really inappropriate monkey that wiggled his ass in our faces, in addition to making other, even more inappropriate gestures such as sticking his tongue between his fingers and stroking himself. I kid you not. It was kind of hilarious--and also really mortifying. The more the crowd laughed and pointed, the more the monkey decided he would put on a show.
Here is Humphrey. He is the MAN. Don't you love that mug??? I wanted to take him home with me!
Here we are out to lunch.
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Today I ran. I was actually uneasy about it. Would I feel fresh? Would I struggle? Turns out it was fine-- Maybe a little faster than usual because it felt really good to finally sweat. Two days is a long time when you are used to doing, well, -- a lot more than that.
My friend Steve wrote a post on getting back into sprints the other day. He pointed out that the trajectory most triathletes take is to start with a sprint and move "up" in distance. Rarely do people decide to just stay doing sprints, unless they are too busy with life, work and family to take on more than that. But why? Why don't more people decide to try to really excel at that sprint distance?
I would argue that many of us aren't sprinters-- that's why. Steve is a gifted sprinter--a man with many a fast twitch muscle fiber and a work ethic that made him fast fast fast as a high school and college swimmer, and later as a triathlete. But many of us aren't like that. Many of us (or maybe I should just speak for me, here) aren't sprinters at all. I didn't excel in sports as a young person, and I believe that's because the longest distance we could swim in high school meets was the 500. It's funny to me now that we considered that an endurance event. How long did it take, 6 minutes? Less if you were super fast? And anyway, I didn't know I was a person who could go long. Frankly, I had never tried to run longer than a mile or two--and in swimming, I had no real ambition to do more than a 100 back.
It wasn't until I trained for my first marathon that I realized that I had something that could make me a good athlete in my adulthood. I had never had much speed, but I could go for a long time--a little bit more each day. I may not be faster than my sprinting friends, but maybe, if I tried hard enough, I could outlast them. This was toatlly novel and liberating thought for me. It was with that realization that I was finally able to consider myself a person capable of great athletic feats--if I could just put in the work.
So it's really no wonder that I was one of those who quickly moved from a sprint to an Ironman. Actually, I signed up for a 1/2 IM before I had even ever completed a sprint. And I know I'm no turtle. It's just I'm also no cheetah. I like the idea of Ironman because IM is about pacing, planning, working, and outlasting. It's not (at least in the age group ranks) about sheer speed.
Unfortunately, though, there's a catch. Sometimes, hard work and long hours aren't enough.
Sometimes you actually have to give up some long hours in order to gain fitness. Nothing makes an athlete like me panic more than being told my long hours may be holding me back--that I need to rest. Nothing. Those long hours are what I have--the only magic I own.
I think the reason so many IM athletes drive themselves into the turf with their training is because like me, that's all they have. They can't fall back on their speed. They can't fall back on their natural ability. They have only their hard work and their ability to endure. What are they-- who are they-- without their willingness to work harder and longer than everyone else? These are the same people who excelled in school not because of their innate brilliance, but because they were willing to study longer and harder than everyone else; the same people who excel in their jobs not because they have a knack for what they do, but because they spend longer at the office, honing their craft, than the other Tom, Dick and Harrys.
I have no real point here. I'm just attempting to convey the helplessness that comes when that magic--the magic of working longer and harder than everyone else--fails us.
13 comments:
I wanted to get a Llama when i was Lara's age:) Then was going to settle for a stuffed one. Alas, I didnt get either:) your kids look like they are having a blast Mary!
I only have one issue with your comments- I find it hard to believe that most triathletes have or never had any ability to sprint. I think the good ones go long because that's what the press focuses on and it's one hell of a challenge. But it SHOULD also be a challenge to go short and faster and faster. Maybe you're right and the sport attracts endurance bodies and minds. But I'd sure like to see talent more evenly distributed across the different distances. Maybe it will take an outside force to change it locally- what if Tri-ME turned their sprints into a series with season points? Maybe include other races like Fireman, Bethel, etc. Hmmmmmm.
You're probably right, Steve. I think the very top of the top at IM could also, if they chose to focus on it, kick ass at the sprint...and because there is not as much focus at the elite level on sprint, people don't try to excel there; they just "start" there. I don't think IM necessarily attracts those with the gift of endurance. I think it attracts lots of types. I just was getting at that one of those types is my type: the type that doesn't have a ton of speed, but will put in the time to go long.
Exactly! Well said! I may add that the more you train, the more you stay away from your family and get to ponder your thoughts, a nice bonus!
Mary, your kids are so adorable! And yes, I have seen "that" monkey and had the same reaction as you!
Really interesting post, Mary. I'm one of those (apparently few) who has stayed at the sprint level--partially because of work/family/lack of cartilage under kneecap, but mainly because I think I'm best at that distance. I did OK when I tried a marathon, but I did much better at my best 10K. The only thing I wonder about is calling it a "sprint" in this context--I agree it's very different than the real endurance events, but something that takes close to (or over depending on the course) an hour is still a kind of endurance event in my books. Of course I come from a middle distance running background, which gives me a particular perspective. But I don't think my fast-twitch muscles (if I even have any left at this age) get much of a workout in a sprint tri. Finally, looks to me like you do pretty well at the sprint/olympic distance, and while the workouts may be shorter, they still require the same level of dedication that is one of your strengths. (And I wonder if the ability to race more against people during a shorter race doesn't also play to your strength. . . . )
don't you think we lose some speed as we age? And Triathletes tend to be "older"...for numerous reasons. I also think women tend to do better with endurance as they get older. It's a theory I have...biologically speaking I think women are made to put in long long phsycially demanding events.....like: childbirth. I realize I'm just focusing on women but it's a theory.
Yes, it's also true that the sport focuses a Lot on the longer races. I think your idea for a series is great STeve!
Humphry's the man! Or at least the camel.
I am curious to see how I feel after my first HIM (especially with some 'distance' afterward). The training is tough, as much as I love it, but really I don't like training more than once a day. Those days are tough. I also don't know what I am truly made of in a race that long, but am about to find out. all will be revealed.
I totally hear what you're saying about the fact that longer events are all about how much work you're willing to do to prepare. I feel like you do- I'm not naturally gifted and fast, but I work my ass off day in and day out and have consistently gotten faster little by little because of my work ethic rather than any genetic talent. I will say, however, that even though a 'sprint' is called a 'sprint', it's still a race that takes over an hour in most cases, so no one is truly sprinting for that long. One of these years I'm going to focus on Olympic distance races. I think that would be a cool and fun change for me!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the USAT requires athletes to annually place high in races of all distances in order to maintain pro status. Typically pros get comped for entries in a lot of races that sell out for amateurs, and this USAT rule makes them earn it. I like it.
The term sprint is greatly misused.
The generally accepted range at which something changes from a sprint to an endurance event is 90-120 seconds.
The shorter triathlon distance is an aerobic event, just as the longer triathlon. It is not a sprint. It is a shorter distance but endurance event just the same.
It is incorrect to think that the those who excel at the shorter events cannot excel at the longer events. You will find that those who perform at a high level in the short distance yet endurance events will dominate in the long events as well. (If they decide to move up)
Contador won the time trial and the tour. The world record holder in the marathon was also the indoor world champion at 1500 meters.
Wiggins was an Olympic Track Champion before taking 4rth at the Tour.
And what would Phelps do to the triathlon swim?
Don't ignore your ability to propel yourself quickly and efficiently over short distances. Ignore that and you will never reach your potential at long distances.
In fact, one of the critical mistakes made by inexperienced or amateur athletes is the overemphasis on the long run/ride at the expense of their skill development.
Looks like a great time at the zoo! The pictures of the kids are precious!!
Ange- I'm getting faster as I get older....go figure!... so I think it really depends on your muscle type and training.
Steve and Mary - don't the Sprints fill up faster than anything else? I thought this is where most people competed.
I wouldn't F with that pacing tiger.... Looks scary....
Your thoughts on longer distances are JUST like my wife's!
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