Change Revisted

Other than the usual outdoor signs like shortening daylight hours, cooler weather and tree leaves turning colors, sure signs of fall in my house include:

• I have chosen my races for the next season and made my ATP
• I am no longer going commando
• I am wearing long pants, even flannel!
• I am wearing socks when not working out
• I put away most of my bike bottles, i.e., they are no longer on my kitchen counter or in the dishwasher
• My bike bag has been put away in a closet, since I probably won't be traveling anywhere to ride for many months
• I need to change the rear tire on LGL to get ready for trainer riding
• I am letting my hair grow a little
• I am going to start heading to Greene Valley to run up and down the big hill
• I am actually cleaning up my yard
• I can see bare surfaces on my kitchen table
• I turned on the heat in my house

Some people dislike the coming of fall because it means winter is on the way, and don't get me wrong--I'm not a big fan of winter--but for me, fall means I get to wind down my training somewhat which gives me time to do other things that I truly enjoy--spending quality time with my plants, cooking, maybe a little sewing, and most importantly, taking stock of where I am in my life and reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next one.

In the Crackhead company, I'm the CEO, and my 2011 fiscal year has just recently begun. I have a prioritized to do list, set forth a budget for triathlon and non-triathlon expenditures, and I am already executing my business plan. The plan calls for some physical plant improvements (and of course, routine maintenance), upkeep of my four Covey quadrants, and improvements to my financial and triathlon performance. I continue to have high expectations for myself, but also understand that there will be things beyond my control that will cause me to make changes to my overall plan, but for the most part I feel I can move forward in a smooth fashion.

Last year (fiscal), I did pretty well on all fronts, despite feeling like the company was going to go under at one point! But we rallied, ended up with good numbers anyway, and learning from that we think we are positioned for an outstanding performance this year!

I suppose in a way I think of my happiness as a sort of indirect result of my company performance. If I am covered financially and physically, and feel like I have a pretty good plan and ability to execute it, I am pretty satisfied. Yet I always feel like I could do better. Always be tweaking the plan and be prepared to adapt to change. Once again, I think back to a point when I had thought why did I go ahead and commit to something even harder than Ironman when I hadn't even finished closing my Dad's estate and still experiencing the lingering stress from that? And then why did I decide even while I was stressing about UMC that I was going to change positions at work (real work) once I was done with that? Because change is one of the things that drives me. You don't get better by doing the same old same old. You get better by injecting change into your life. I need change.

Each major life event that happens to me makes me stronger. I don't always like challenges arriving from negative events, but I have learned that even when faced with those, there are opportunities for me to learn something about myself, life or both, and I received that lesson once again in navigating myself towards a UMC finish, and I have knowingly subjected myself to a bit of stress by changing positions. But, can a new job be any worse than what I have been through the last 4 years? No. Especially when it's in an area that I absolutely love--pure technology. It's funny to me that I am thinking that UMH training will be a piece of cake this time around! It won't really be that way--it will get fucking hard at some point (check back in late April next year!), and I will no doubt question myself in putting myself into that position, but I used what I learned last year to hopefully make what I'm doing seem more routine rather than a complete surprise to my body.

Speaking of my body, I have verified that my bed has been causing much of my referred pain in my glutes and hamstrings. I may still have a slight strain in my left hamstring, but I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow (first visit in 5 years!) to get checked out, ask for some ultrasound treatment, and I will proceed conservatively with my running, which I am going to test out this morning.

I had some major DOMS yesterday, and it felt great! Being sore because you did something is awesome to me. I rode my MTB, Clipless Fuck, and enjoyed the hell out of it! I hadn't ridden her since April, and boy did I notice the difference in weight as compared to my other bikes! It made me realize something about my body maintenance, too. During my 2008-2009 training season, I rode CF a lot to and from the outdoor pool. That had 2 impacts: first, adding to my overall cycling volume, which is never a bad thing; and second, it gave my backside a break from the more aggressive position of LGL and Bitch. This past season, I didn't have time to ride to the outdoor pool (although depending on how it goes, I may get there next summer), and so I didn't get that cross training effect, and I think that is something I need.

So for me, no it's not enough to just swim, bike and run--I need to ride 3 or 4 different bike positions, spend a few months not running on roads at all, strength train year round and stretch daily. I still find it interesting that many triathlon training plans and/or coaches say that strength training isn't necessary. It isn't necessary or required to get faster at S/B/R, that's a fact. But I do find it necessary to enable me to do my non-tri life (at least the way I live it) in good health and not sustain injury from day to day activities, and it helps keep all of my muscles at the ready.

I don't need 4 (really I have 5 but am trying to sell one) bikes, but have come to enjoy the different positioning of each one and how it lets me use my muscles in different ways. Same thing with spending a few months of the year running on a soft treadmill, and incorporating trail running wherever I can.

I just really like to mix things up! On that note, I am going to head to the Y to try a short run and then swim. Enjoy your day!