Sunday, September 26, 2010

A different kind of exercise


Updating the blog has been tough as I've not done a lot of training since Muskoka 70.3.  In fact, my bike hasn't moved since it last rode the 94km course.  I feel bad for neglecting it but at the same time, I've had to catch up on all the stuff I neglected around the house throughout the summer training and racing season.  I won't go into how long the list is, but suffice to say, training for an Ironman would be shorter!

A project I decided to tackle somewhat on a 'whim' is to add a decorative border of cobblestone around the driveway and trailer pad.  We had our 250' of asphalt laid this time last year and it is about 4" higher than where it meets the grass.  It's this edge I wanted to finish off properly and either add topsoil and sod to bring it up to level, OR, put in a stone border to do the same.  I chose the border because it will look a lot nicer AND be more functional along the edge of the trailer pad.  There won't be any grass growing through the edge of MY pad!

The digging has obviously been a chore.  Is it ever not?  I don't think so.  I still have a bit to go in certain areas to get to about 18 inches of depth.  I'll have the Granular A and stone dust delivered this week and as you can see, I've already got the cobblestones ready.

The wire you see isn't electrical....it's the conduit to digital life beyond our house walls. Amazing how we are connected to billions of images, video, text and people through that simple little piece of copper.

Switching gears back to triathlon, the weather has been typical of fall in this climate - coolish, in the 50's with lotsa rain.  It doesn't seem like I can justify getting soaked and cold to go riding.  I miss it, though. I'm not in a funk because of all the digging and other stuff I've done around the house.  If I were in a funk, I'd probably not do much of anything...and I can't remember when I didn't do 'much of anything'.  I can't even remember the last time I had a 'nap'.  Must have been when I was a teenager.

Where do you get your motivation from?  Do you find it easier to ride / run when you have a training partner?  It's not an excuse, but my multiple Ironman finisher training buddy, with whom I did Muskoka, is recovering from injury.  We'd be out so often together over the summer, my wife joked about us having a 'manaffair'.  That isn't even funny, if you ask me.  We did spend a lot of time on the road, though.  I can credit the guy for getting me to the start line of Muskoka this year, though.  He is a really positive guy and provides a ton of encouragement.  Exactly what you need when you are pushing yourself to your limits and testing your boundaries.

For most of us trying to 'go the distance', there are these people in our lives that make us believe we can do it.  Those that have already walked this path and possibly even alone.  They are teaching us without even knowing it, providing immeasurable guidance.  It can take years off ad-hoc, willy-nilly racing and training and if you haven't lately, make sure you thank your guides for their inspiration and motivation.  For without them, becoming an Ironman would hardly be possible.

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