Well here I am sitting in Jarrahdale, on another warm night *sarcasm*. The reality is I think this is the coldest town in the entire world. I think it has actually snowed here before, but everyone was so frozen it wasn’t able to be recorded.
The last few weeks has given me a lot of time to think about all of the aspects of my life, training and otherwise. There is nothing like a little bit of sickness and some life changing events to get you thinking about certain aspects of your life.
Something that I have truly come to realise is the massive part that music pays in my life. But also the fact that, man, my music collection needs expanding (since I lost 90% of it on my old computer). But I am getting there. On the train on my way to work, in the car on the way to swimming or smashing myself up Neddleton Road, music can really really set the mood, and I believe define moments of our lives.
So often now I find myself listening to tracks and associating them with various (good or bad) moments in my life. This can be trap however as I have had the occasional song ruined by an associated memory, moments from high school to current day. But man I do have some good memories with regards to various songs.
This general time of sickness and more work commitments has given me a lot of time to think, on an early morning or late night train to work, or an early morning (over tired) drive to swimming. These are all times I believe where I come across my best thoughts. My definition of good thoughts and the general consensus may differ though... :/
Then bam, it hits me. Wow, life is wayyyy to short. Life is too short to be unhappy, to be unfit, to be lazy, to plan, to postpone, to sleep in! I mean sure you have to stop and think about certain things, haha you can’t be tooooo stupid (I think we have all learnt that the hard way)... But life is too short, to be unhappy that’s for sure and we can all be responsible for our own happiness. I don’t believe in fate, everyone has control over their own destiny and now is the time to take control and make yourself happy..time to make me happy. :)
Anyway I thought this was a training blog...
On a more training based approach...this week has been a mix of ups and downs. Monday through Wednesday I was really on a roll. Double swim set Monday, and I FINALLLY got a killer run in on Tuesday! Tuesday was pretty much the happiest day of the week. It was the usual hills run with squad. This week was a warm up, 5 x 1k sets of up across down across up across down across (wow that is really confusing to read..). Brian had told the front group (myself included in this group) to run them on 4.30’s. This was a little worrying due to my complete lack of running over the past month and a half.
This was not going to bother me though, after instructions from the physio to run more and longer distances I was ready to really smash out the sets. The first one was a relatively each one, coming in just over 4.10, which I was pretty happy with. The next two I picked up the pace and dropped the group. I was feeling really good, and so fricken happy to be running hard again. That’s it I thought to myself, I’ll give everything on these last two laps, after all, to use a favourite quote of mine “I wasn’t there for a haircut”.
I set of on the second last one as it was the final one, something I love to do. It really makes you realise how deep you can actually go, and such a massive part of our sport, and any sport is the mental game. When you think you are giving 110% you really aren’t.
3.26, BAM! That was awesome, I was gone but man it felt good, 1 mins rest before the next one, I was off again. I was absolutely gone but I pushed deep, and decided not to look at my watch. 3.26, gahhh what are the odds!?! The exact same time again?? At least I didn’t positive split. I was so gone afterwards and could only manage and jog/walk warm down back to the car. But god I was happy.
Wednesday was an awesome set. 1k time trial. Oh wait, in an extra large t-shirt. My god killer killer killer. With still close to 3k to swim afterwards, the lane dwindled to 2 finishers. Satisfying set. Unfortunately from here the training aspect of my week went downhill. Work took over and I was unable to make the arvo swim set. Thursday mornings ride went out the window, due to a great night had out with some good mates on Wednesday (life’s too short to let opportunities like that slip by once in a while). Cruisy nights out with good mates are good for the soul.
Thursday night was spent watching the tour and praying Schleck could break “Pisterello” (urgh worst nickname ever). Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, but it was awesome to watch two of our generations greatest athletes battle it out.
Friday was a write off, I had such good intentions....until the call from my boss way to early in the morning, “are you able to come into work?” Dayum. Ruined.
Saturday and I finally got the chance to test out the Argon with at 808/1080 set up. OH MY GOD amazing amazing amazing, to find out more, please see photo :P
Then it was off to Jarrahdale, as soon as I got there it was onto the bike for 2 repeats up Jarrahdale road. I went really hard on the first one, but was confident to try and negative split the second one. Good news was I did, by over 50 seconds; I was super psyched, but goneeee. After an awesome dinner, it was off for the best night trek through the Jarrahdale forest with Paigey. The highlight of the night being the massive massive paddock we found with a massive number of wild Kangaroos as well as the rocky out crop we found, the highest point of the paddock. Was schweetttt.
The next morning I was up early to hit up Neddleton road before our planed group training run. The ride was tough and I hit up the entire route in the big chain ring. Tough tough tough but really good. I’d finished and grabbed some brekky and everyone started to rock up for the run. I was told by Brian I would be running two 10k loops. We had no idea how tough the course was but we quickly found out, undulating for 2.5k on the road, then ridiculous ridiculous ridiculously huge hills off road for the next 2.5k and return. The run was so tough only 3 of us could make it out for the second lap, respect to everyone else running it though, this course was the hardest I had even run.
I ended up smashing the run and felt so so excellent. This was well over double the furthest I had run since Busso and I was so happy with the results. However I was absolutely goneee after the run and had to have a close to two hour nap before I left for home.
Overall a really good weekend, and as I lay hear on my bed absolutely gone, I am very satisfied with the weekend happenings training and all. 10 weeks to Gold Coast and I am really starting to feel confident and am RARING to go.
Train hard, live happy people
Markus
