Life is Linear – Right?

I worked only a half day today. I spent the rest of the day on the couch trying to shake some type of bug that has me feeling down. It’s uncommon for me to sit for hours at a time and I’m afraid that all of this downtime has allowed me to think too much.

After a very average run at the Sand Key Triathlon this weekend, I am struggling to connect A to Z. I like to think of myself as analytical and methodical. I understand that everyone is not like me – but I do pretty well when I understand how I’m going to get from the beginning to the end of a task. It’s like school. You know if you go for twelve years and make passing grades – you’ll graduate and get your high school diploma. Four more years of the same effort and you will leave college with a bigger and better diploma. I can understand that and it fits well into my fuzzy brain.

That brings me to Sunday. I went into the race expecting to have an improved 5k run. I have literally quadrupled my running over the last two months and I was looking for a payout. I took care of myself on Friday and Saturday, the weather was a little cooler than previous races and due to big waves – we didn’t even swim.

So after a good ride on the bike, I pull on my shoes and head out for a quick 3.1 miles. I was happy leaving T2 because my legs felt good and my head seemed pretty clear. Not feeling overheated or too tired from the bike leg. Things were starting out as planned.

Then it hit. I’m not sure what it was – but it hit. My legs felt heavy and all I could do was just jog along slowly. I became the moving roadblock for all of the people that I had passed on the bike and many athletes that had started in waves behind me. I know that all of those athletes have worked hard and I gave words of encouragement to most that passed me – but I wasn’t at all happy with my pace! I’ve put in the work – and I want my results!

Okay, now that my temper tantrum has passed, it’s time to get back to work. I continue to be amazed at how my body responds to the exercise and change of habits. I haven’t seen my run times improve (enough) – but I continue to shed pounds. I’m still slow on the run – but I can now make good time up my training bridge on my bike. I’m the very slowest swimmer at the OWS, but I can run 10 miles without stopping. All of that tells me that things are improving – but they aren’t linear. Being an analytical guy, that bugs me – but all I can do is run my 5 miles before work in the morning and be confident that one day my body will decide we can do it faster!

Somewhere in all of this, there is a lesson in patience and perseverance. It's a lesson that I need to learn!

Cheers from the sick couch my friends!