Saturday morning I wake up and do a 5k at North Central High School. I set a new personal best and loved every second of the race. I love 5k's...they are over so quick! I passed some of my usual competition at the 1/2 way mark, pulled another girl in 100 meters from the finish line and placed 4th in the women and won my age group. Now, mind you...I have only been running 3 days a week (about 15 miles a week). So, I am not putting in the time on my run to really see drastic improvements. However, I really want to make time to run more, but I have been biking a lot and loving every second of that too.
Saturday afternoon I get an email that my new road bike is built up and ready to be picked up. I have been waiting for this day for sooooooo long. I got my new Blue AC1 aero carbon frame, diva'd out with Zipp accessories/wheels/bars and Sram Force components. I am so excited I can't contain myself! I love this bike and I keep thinking about all of the bike races I want to do this year.We go on our maiden ride and it was incredible!
Sunday morning, I hop on my new ROAD bike (on the indoor trainer) and had a great trainer ride thinking about my first bike race that is coming up in a few weeks. Guess what happens, Ironman Hawaii 2009 comes on and here we go again. Damn it...I cry again and am so incredibly motivated to swim/bike/run I can't stand it. FYI: The new NBS-US Universal Sports rocks if you are an endurance athlete!
Sunday night, I find myself on truesport.com and cyclingnews.com looking for more bike races. What the heck! Why can't I make up my mind?
Here are my thoughts: Swimming is not my strength. I struggle at winning races in triathlon because I just don't have the swimming technique to be in the front of the pack. In the past, this has really haunted me and is very frustrating. Second, I have done an ironman every year for the past 6 years and I have not gotten any faster. My times are okay, but not fast enough to get me to Hawaii. I need a bit more speed and luck.
Biking is my strength and I feel that if I could just focus my efforts on the bike, I might have a chance to actually excel at it. I have the mentality to train 15-20 hours a week, so put that all into the bike...and maybe something great could be accomplished. Who knows, but worth a shot, right?
Then there is fear...what if I don't run and then I get slow at running? I love running and I don't think I like the idea of losing what speed I do have. I know it will come back eventually, but still:( I have never, not run. Plus, triathlon has been a huge part of my life for so many years. In essence, it gave true meaning to my life when I wasn't sure who I was. It taught me that I am more determined than anyone I know. It taught me that I am a fighter. It taught me that I can do anything that I set my mind to. It taught me that I thrive on goals and challenges. It is a powerful sport and it has been my life since 2003. Would I be lost without it?
Now, if you are familiar with the law of specificity...it basically states that if you want to excel at a particular exercise, that must be your focus. Bike racing, although it uses a bike, is much different than triathlon.
So, here are my options:
1. To bike race this spring and do some sprint triathlons in the early summer. If the spring bike races go well,
then I will focus on those and if they don't, then I will train for a late summer 70.3 (1/2 ironman).
2. Throw all of my energy into bike racing and try to excel at the 1 sport. Knowing that I might not have it
figured out until later in the year. Save the running for the fall/winter(off season)
3. Do some bike races for fun, but focus my energy on the tried, true and safe "triathlon".
2 comments:
Tough choices. No doubt you will be great at whichever you choose! Love to see you have updated the blog again. Always here cheering for you.
-linz
i wish you were closer this way. girl, i am psyched to meet another teammate even if i am 11 years older.
this post is exactly what goes through my head all the time too. i love triathlon and am throwing in a half iron in muncie indiana in july. come and represent kenda with me. :)
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