Happy living in our stressful lives is all about organization. For instance, I like to sort the tasks first by priority and then group tasks of equal priority into buckets of minor priorities. Software developers creatively call this approach to organization a “bucket sort”. This helps break down what appears to be an insurmountable mess of work and separate it into consumable, understandable units.
Being the optimist that I am, after prioritizing, I start by sorting my activities into those which I would rather consume a cyanide tablet than tackle, and set a goal to work through those first. Once I’ve completed those, I feel a sense of accomplishment that helps build the morale needed to tackle the remaining items. Having completed the “cyanide” bucket, I feel better about tackling the “wrist-slitting” bucket and working my way gradually towards “beating myself to death with a rusty hammer“, which represents the least appealing of the tasks.
It’s all about using the momentum gained from the last activity to drive the next, which is also how I approach my training. It can be hard to find the motivation to remain disciplined in your training when the days are dark and wet; when your goals are many months away it is far too easy to find other priorities when there is nothing immediate towards which to drive. The training becomes erratic, and our progress is stunted. Without a clear plan, we react to our schedules and external demands rather than working around them; goals force us to prioritize our lives in a way that leads us towards success and the secret to Training Properly is to cascade your goals in a way that allows for steady progress that builds toward the greater objective.
However much we love Cycling, getting better at it requires routine hard work and suffering, an endeavor whose most reliable variation is marked by an unplanned visit from the Man with the Hammer and very few glimpses of his lovely wife, La Volupte. We need small successes to fuel our desire to climb back on the bike to continue The Work despite the cold rain lashing down. For the last year, my training has been focussed on the Heck of the North, which I will sadly be missing due to unforeseeable circumstances at work. Missing out on the opportunity to compete in Northern Minnesota finds me deflated and reluctant to get on the bike and suffer despite the excellent form I’m enjoying at the moment. But as one goal is passed by, another settles into focus, and my sights are already shifting around the bend towards the 2015 Keepers Tour, which will be returning to Belgium during the Cobbled Classics.
The days are shortening and the sun hangs low in the sky when it isn’t blocked out by a thick blanket of clouds. The morning mist keeps the roads damp and drives a chill into my bones. A few weeks ago, I was dreading the change. Today, I welcome it. The wet is coming, and I have my goal set. I look forward to tapping out my rhythm to the metronome of raindrops dripping from the brim of my cap.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@Haldy
Such a great shot, but here's a much less famous one:
And please lets not forget RdV Parting The Waters in '73.
@frank
@frank
As a former resident of Oak Harbor...I am intimately familiar with the middle 1/3 of the route...expect a flurry of attacks there... ;-)
Awesome freeze frames of glory days...
Nothing gets me out of bed and on the bike in the dark like knowing you have a target, and that even one week off will hamper the build of form to that end. It can take 4 months for me to build (I have a poor constitution and ability I now assume), given the inevitable sicknesses that interrupt training (thanks kids!).
My buddy and I always set a target event in spring, which means we still need to drag our asses out through the entirety/eternity of the dark, wind and rain of winter, when all the fair weather summer riders are still asleep, getting fat.
It's constant checking of forecasts, thinking about adequate attire (there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choice) and the dread that despite knowing it is going to rain and blow, you better get your ass out there or else the fine but fickle Goddess of Fitness will desert us..
@leftsideoverhere
I will only add, that those who cheat only cheat themselves, to what must be a very hollow podium.
@Optimiste
Mission accomplished! Awesome goal, that should see you through the mess!
@Harminator
Those guys rocked that day. Look at Nibbles back there digging in. So awesome.
@tessar
Half the fun is in the gear. Some for cooking, by the way.
@rfreese888
We've had such a great year, I have an amazing tan. I haven't even looked at my cold weather kit in months and months. Most summers in Seattle are good, but I'll always ride with arm warmers a bit...not this year. Amazing.
Congrats! Just remember to keep it fun and light.
Races are won in VVinter.
@Cog
Are you doing any fat bike work up there? I have a fantasy for a fat bike with drop bars.
@unversio
10F/-12C is doable if its dry. If its wet, then the freezing point is the coldest you will ever be in your life.
@Buck Rogers
Quote of the month right there.
@piwakawaka
As is that! Two in a row!
@Beers
Sean Kelly: "You can't tell how cold it is by looking out the kitchen window. You have to get dressed and go out training and when you get back, you know how cold it was."
@frank
As much as I would like to spend the week hanging around with a bunch of too fat to climb, peaking in two months velominati riding, drinking and freezing our asses off all over the cobbled countryside, something inside keeps telling me that if I chose that path I would no longer have any Rule#11 conflicts or have to worry about staying below the S-1 bike limit. I will likely be watching the internet feed on the poolside/beachside on the iPad.....
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