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| Just a Picture of the Bike |
Lets start with stating i'm not a pro and I don't live in a vacuum. I don't have the ability to train at the most ideal time of the day or call my riding work. Therefore riding has to be done before and after work, and I must adhere to a disciplined schedule in order to make the very most out of the time that I do have. I don't want to sound like i'm complaining. Its really motivating to know that your doing something that not many people do. I think its cool having the identity of that friend, coworker, family member or neighbor that is always on their bike despite having a full time job. Now for part two, I don't live in a vacuum. What I mean by that is no matter how pro or how disciplined I am life continues to happen and a lot of the time disrupts training. Life disrupted training for me this past weekend when I made a trip to Chicago for my cousins funeral. Like all trips non bike related its hard to effectively train. Something always has to give. For me I wasn't able to train as much, my diet was pretty poor (a lot of fast food dinners) and my sleep was sub par at best. The trip being for a funeral adds an emotional aspect. I was not particularly close with my cousin, but that doesn't mean that a young mans death doesn't bring out strong emotions and make a person realize how fragile life can be. Emotional distractions are just as impactful to training and are nearly impossible to ignore. Therefore my weekend as far as training goes was a waste. I got in one 2.5 hour ride with Taylor, but was too tired from the night before, so I was just going through the motions. Being the competitor that I am, a crap weekend of riding and recovery is extremely frustrating and leads to a guilty feeling. "I should have..." or "Why hadn't I just..." are the most common statements. As I was driving home I couldn't help but be hard on myself for not getting in more riding, more sleep and less garbage food. Of course I could have done 20 minute ride before I left and driven a little further away from the highway to get some better food, and of course I feel guilty for having a weekend that was training wise unproductive. But it wasn't the first time thats happened, and I guarantee it won't be the last. During the same drive home I began to feel guilty that I was concerned more about my training than the whole reason I was in Chicago. Instead of questioning my dedication to my training, I reflected on what I did do and not what I wish I had done. I did spend some very quality time with my two of my younger brothers, I was generously hosted by my good friend Taylor, saw my wonderful family and celebrated the life of a young man. Could I have been more selfish this past weekend and done better quality training, hit the total riding hours that I had planned and recovered effectively. Yes, But I didn't. How does one get past some of the unavoidable distractions that are in life? For me I frequently have to remind myself that just because I wasn't more selfish or missed that 30 minutes I could have rode before the drive home or went to bed a little earlier doesn't make me any less dedicated. Next I have to remind myself that life gets in the way at some point for everyone, no matter how "pro" you are. Life happens and there is no way of changing that, instead looking at the positives is all we can do. The final step for me in forgiving myself after a less that ideal moment in life is remembering that there will always be more races, miles to ride, better recovery and more sleep, so its best to just move on and start fresh in the morning:
https://www.strava.com/activities/747456974
Keep the air in your tires,
Scotty Albaugh
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