I'll be honest a lot of what I write on this blog is at times hard for me to live out all of the time even though I believe it 100%. My hope is that by repeating, writing, and reading it over and over and over again and again that I will one day it will penetrate this thick skull of mine.
Patience- Face it, we live in a society of instant gratification. We want it, and we want it NOW! We take pills to get the results we want, and want the easiest quickest fix. Our focus is for a week, maybe a month. Proof? Do you remember now busy the gym was the first week in January- I bet now you will have no problem finding a treadmill!
This is a hard one for me because I want patience but I want it right now! When I think about where I'll be in August/September I feel like a kid at Christmas - I CAN'T WAIT! I don't want to slow down and work slowly and let the work take care of itself. I need to see progress weather its racing, weight loss or anything else. As long as the scale is moving downward I'm fine. But when I hit a plateau all hell breaks lose. The same thing with racing, When things aren't progressing as fast as I'd like I get discouraged. If I'm only losing a pound a week its difficult for me to see the end. It helps me if I widen the scope out a month (or even 2) and look at the trends instead of being hyperfocused on todays stats- the plateuas are barely noticable.
Persistence- There's a saying "Life Happens!", DOES IT EVER! It seems every time I'm on track something inevitably comes up- car repairs, family visit, sick kid, I get sick,..... when stuff happens it makes a difficult task even harder. There's another saying "If you aren't moving forward then you are going backwards". When I had to stay off my feet because of the Gout I tried very hard not to eat to make myself feel better. Actually during those 2 weeks I didn't gain a pound- surprising since I couldn't eat protein (a key componet in my diet). I'm counting that as a win for me! For me to progress I need to keep moving. Racing is the fun, training is the hard part. It's difficult to get my heart rate into zone 4 on a training ride but during a race I can empty the tank and peg zone 6. I have had some great strides on the short track but if I'm going to see the plan come together for cross country and CX I need to stay focused on my diet, training, and racing to see those dreams come true.
Perspiration- This is easy for me! I love riding my bike. I love the endorphins after a hard workout. If its been raining and cold outside and I haven't been riding for a while I admit I get a little cranky. My wife will tell me "You need to go for a ride!" Meaning: go ride and don't come back until you are in a better mood! Once again its the training that's the hard part. You would think that it would get easier but it doesn't. Mentally it does get easier dealing with the pain and knowing how far you can push yourself. But, the training still hurts. My friend says "It does get any easier, You just get faster!"
Patience, persistence and perspiration make
an unbeatable combination for success.
-Napoleon Hill
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