Discovered a SICK song that I used to be in love with, but could never find due to the lack of iTunes music store.. So basically in the stone-age.
Also of note, the first kickflip ever landed on a surfboard. He didn't ride it out, but it's INCREDIBLE. Man, I can barely do half a kickflip on a SKATEBOARD.. Half the time.
For some reason, I have a desire to write about sweet and crazy things that have happened this January, which turned out to go by SO fast. The Crazy...
-Man who escapes from the psych ward at Royal Jubilee Hospital breaks into Oak Bay Pool, gets nekkid, and attempts to run up the Waterslide tower. After a slight interruption in his plans by the lifeguards, he runs out of the building being chased by one of my bosses, and 2 maintenance guys.
-Training. Ouch.
-Blinders and Gecko Shorts
The Sweet...
-Training. YAY!
-Surfing. The LEGITIMATE wave of my life. Dawn patrol on New Years Day.
-Spending tons of times with Albert.
-Koala-ing.
-Not being sick or injured. Rules.
-Learning how to "Techtonik" dance (see video below) (embedding disabled...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqYhuwu614Y
-SUNNY DAYS. CMON.. It's like it's already spring here in Vic!!!
-Blinders and Gecko Shorts (see above photo)
Regardless, January has been a GREAT month. February is looking to be equally/more awesome considering I get to spend more time with L'Al-bear AND I get to go to Tucson Arizona on Feb. 20th for a training camp with Noa and the PT Team!!! Ballin'!!!!
So, many of you who know me, know that my biggest fear is the Shark. Great white especially. I've had way too many nightmares where the man in the grey suit comes for a visit. These dreams wouldn't end with me being eaten however. Instead it would be my entire family, while I watched from the top deck of a small sailboat, a dinghy if you will. Not so fun.
Scanning surfing websites as I usually do, I came across the story of Bethany Hamilton. Some of you may have heard of her, but in case you haven't, here is a short interview clip.
I know, I know. Super cliche blog post. BUT, this stands out for me. Imagine being 13, and doing the one thing in the world that you love, when one of the most improbable situations imaginable knocks at your doorstep, or on your surfboard. Not only does she still surf after the fact, but she still wants to become a professional surfer. That means significant water time in some of the sharkiest beaches in the world (South Africa's J-Bay, NorCal, Australia's south/west coast etc.).
Anyways, just thought I would pass on the story. To me it's one of the most inspirational stories I've ever heard.
Now, something that I've talked about quite a bit lately, is my competitiveness. Until I got to about Grade 12 of high school, I hadn't stopped and assessed how competitive I really am. (Aside: be ready for one of the most introspective blog posts of ALL TIME).
As a swimmer, my Dad would always tell me that I was never very competitive. I would train extremely well, for example I remember one occasion, at the end of a training camp in Santa Clara, California that I broke 1:00 for a 100 free LCM from a push. This was a big step for me in the right direction, yet my competition results were never so strong. How many times did I break 16:00 for 1500? 0. How often did my training times reflect my ability to do such a thing? Usually at least 2-3 times a week. Even at the end of my swimming career I was thinking that maybe I just didn't have the fire, or passion to succeed. Maybe swimming wasn't the right sport for me, I thought. Maybe I was right.
Since I quit swimming, took some time off, and started training for triathlon, I haven't really examined my competitiveness until now. Until my girlfriend Ally recent commented on how I don't seem like a competitive person, I started thinking about how I am in training as opposed to racing. For example, at swimming last week I raced beside a guy who was wearing fins at the end of a set of 15x200s, and he was beating me by a hair in each 200. Not only was I getting annoyed at this, I was swearing in my head. AT him. Did I get enough sleep that night? Did I eat enough before workout? Was it the beginning of a super big week of training? Who knows. I know that in the water, I will look at who's around me in warm-up and constantly compare my effort-level to theirs, relative to their speed. If I feel like someone is going faster at a lower effort then I am, then I will try to clean up my stroke for that interval. I know that I can't be super friendly in the middle of a CRAZY hard swim set.
Running is a similar story. I don't get as fired up, but I sure as hell don't like being beaten. Even in steady intervals at Thursday's run practice, I was constantly watching Leif/Nick/Tyler/Kamal to see who makes a move, and to make sure that I saved some energy to respond later in the interval. Is this competitiveness? Or this some sort of obsessive superiority complex? I never considered myself ego-driven, but this sort of attitude seems to push me to thinking it is about pride.
Now, racing is a completely different story. I never took triathlon as seriously as I am now. The last 2 seasons for me revolved around half-assed training with little to no attention to the detail of each workout I completed. I'm sure many athletes partake in this sort of training. Competition was the fruit of this half-assed labour though. I would get to a race, and have fun. I would laugh, joke, and chat it up at the start line, with little regard for my focus. For example, let's take the Sooke Half-Iron. I started the swim strong at the front with Kelly Guest and Adam O'Meara, not really taking too much opportunity to lead in the first loop of two. On the second loop I lead for maybe 200m before falling back into the draft of Kelly, even though I knew that I could easily pull ahead (no offense!!!). I was comfortable in the draft, and knew I would save energy that would be useful on the bike. But is that really what I was thinking?
From the start of my triathlon career, I've never looked at the swim as important. I've had so many people around me tell me that "the swim is the shortest time-wise, worry about your cycling and running." I took this advice very seriously. I have never really RACED the swim of a triathlon. NEVER. I've never come out of the water lightheaded while running to T1. What about the other parts of a triathlon? Well on the bike, I couldn't care less if someone passes me. For the most part, I NEVER care about someone passing me. Even on the swim. I remember a few years back getting passed at the Kelowna Apple Tri by an old swim coach from Hyack in New West. I didn't even care. I didn't give chase, or even say "Oh man, gotta keep the pace a little higher." It's like apathy sets in the second I'm put in a situation where the pressure is mounting.
Now, I KNOW that I can change this. The Pioneer 8km, while not the fastest time, was one of the first races I ever RACED. I didn't hold back at the beginning. I did my first kilometer in 2:58. I did my first 5k in 16:35. Considering an overall time of 27:30, 16:35 does not seem like the pace for someone who is holding back. Maybe I've finally said "Eff this, I'm going for it" to my subconscious and I'm going to able to race more then I've ever done before. Maybe I've grown up since I started triathlon. I know I want to make this a career. I'm willing to live frugally and train damn hard to make sure I can do it. The Pioneer 8km may not have been the most important race of the year for me, but it helped me to reexamine the way I perform in pressure-filled situations.
I know this was EXTREMELY long winded, but for my mental health, and for the good of my newly found passion for triathlon, I needed to get this out SOMEWHERE.
Hopefully there will be some photos from the 8k up soon, so everyone can see my extremely sexy gecko shorts. BALLIN'
In lieu of an actual race report, I decided to do something kinda fun. I will describe each km of the race in 5 words. 5 words ONLY. No more no less. As part of the game, it MUST be a coherent sentence, and I can't re-use adjectives.
Here we go:
Warm-up: Great training partners make fun Ok, that one wasn't so creative, but the actual race ones will be gooooooooooooood.
Km 1: The overzealous will soon fall
Km 2: Wolves definitely run in packs
Km 3: Small hills make hamstrings scream
Km 4: 'Gecko' shorts are too small
Km 5: Thrash and dash, not recommended
Km 6: Spitting is an essential skill
Km 7: Grunting isn't only in tennis
Km 8:I should take up Golf
27:30 28th/674 6/20 M20-24
Mad props to all finishers, but especially those from PT Performance Training. You guys are amazing. Keep the stoke, Derbear
