A RIDICULOUS thing happened.
At Master's a few weeks ago, we did pacing workouts to get ready for off-season training.
I had my fastest swims to date, coming in at a 1:20 per 100m.
I mentioned this to COACH, and of course he says: Your goal for the winter is 1:10.
Yea.
Ok.
Let that sink in for a minute.
It's not EXACTLY EASY to go from 1:20 to 1:10 in an off season.
Of course, I'm NOT going to say anything because the last thing I want to do is end up holding plank for 5 minutes.
Smart a$$, YES.
Stupid, NO.
Fast forward to Master's today.
IT'S MAKING ME CRAZY. Since the season has ended, my form is all jacked up. I feel like a beginner all over again.
Master's Coach decided that since only a few of us showed up, she'd treat us to a SPECIAL kind of punishment
4 x 50's: fast. take the average speed.
THEN
4 x 100's AT THE CRIMINALLY INSANE 50M PACE. If you swam a 1:00 50, you'd had to swim a 2:00 100. Got it?
THEN
4 X 200 AGAIN AT THE CRIMINALLY INSANE 50M PACE.
whimper
Can I say something?
THIS IS NOT HOW I ENVISIONED MY OFF SEASON!
Whatever happened to the good ole days of stuffing my face with pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and sitting back to watch Netflix movies?
This is SO NOT GOOD.
Back to my MAIN point.....this swimming thing is starting to get hard. Really hard. It's been pretty easy for me up to this point. I worked on form. Pushed the pace here and there, but that was it.
That thought. That little thought RIGHT THERE....made me tumble down into thought oblivion.
Running is always a struggle. Not in a bad way, but of the 3....I know when I'm working hard on the run. It's hard for me. When I finally hit my running goals, no one will be able to say that I didn't work for it.
I've never experienced that on the swim (until now) or ever on the bike.
WHAT IF, I put the energy that I put into my running into my swim and bike?
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. (The best quote, and I wish I knew who said it).
I'm not gonna lie. I have some talent on the bike, but shouldn't that alone drive me to be the BEST that I can possibly be on the bike? Not just trying to be #1? Shouldn't I strive for more than that? AND the swim? Come on, not everyone can jump in the pool and just knock out a 1:20. I know that.
This was my point when I posted on Twitter about dreaming big and not allowing anyone to tell you that you can't accomplish something.
SOMEONE did....sort of....snicker....when I told them about my 5:30 half iron goal.
As if.
AS IF.
AS IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THERE.
ME. The person that (for years) wasn't just last in my AG, but often times one of the last to finish.
I am not particularly interested in what most people think about my goals.
But let me break it down for you.
35 minute swim (mission accomplished)
2:40 bike (mission accomplished)
2:10 run.
throw in transitions
BOOM B!TCHES
Or as Coach says: When you're fast on the bike, you can go slower on the run.
And just fyi: I'm not far off from that 2:10 run.
And I'm still 2 years off from the next 70.3.
And you can bet, whether or not I hit 5:30, I'm going to be damn happy with my finish, because it's going to be the biggest PR this side of the Mississippi.
In other words: When you come in bottom 10% for so long, YOU CAN'T BE DISAPPOINTED. You just can't.
So when asked "What will happen if you don't hit 5:30? Are you still signing up for Ironman?"
Me: Hell yea. I'll just work a little harder, better, smarter.
I'm certainly not going to lock myself in a closet and cry about hitting 5:52 (remember? That was my FIRST GOAL)
People are strange.
Fortunately, their fears don't stop me from reaching my goals.
