Singularly Focused

One Month.  I have been in Tucson now for one month.  It cannot quite sink in.  I keep saying it to myself and thinking "Wow.  Really?"  In many respects it feels like time has whizzed by, but considered rationally a month is a substantial amount of time.  I suppose you get into your routine and suddenly find yourself wondering where has all that time gone.  What have I done with a whole  month.

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I admit that I have been rather singularly focused.  Even to the slight annoyance of those around me.  In the past month my life has been to eat, sleep and breath bicycling.  Linear, yes.  Selfish, for my sake, I hope not.  perhaps I am a workaholic, but I enjoy it too much.  Is OCD a good thing?  I just want to do everything right, and behave professionally.  It can be rather consuming, 9-5 bah.  Think 24/7.

This is probably the most quality to accept in an athletes life.  Both for the perspective of the athlete and for those around them.  Since most of the world is bound to a 40hour 9-5 schedule it is difficult to accept that someone who operates on a self defined time-line must remain rigid.  The bottom line is that an athlete can very rarely afford to "turn it off." 

When your life and success is dependent on your physical performance everything matters all the time.  Any and all aspects of your life will in some way affect your abilities.  Quality of sleep, what you eat, when you eat, when you train, having a routine, even a bed time.  I could go on but that would make for a long and unnecessary list.  The point is in pre-season and race season it is time to "Focus!  Live like a monk."  Everything matters, this week rest matters.

That's right.  Rest matters.  After one month of turning up the dial it's time to bring it back.  No matter how much I need to train, I always get an earful about how much I need to rest.  I want to take this seriously as well.  This week is about taking the dial down from a ten to a 7 or a 6.  I will rest physically with fewer bicycle hours, and I look forward to some off bike activities to mentally break.  If it is at all worth while I will fill you in.  Then Turn the straight and narrow back up to 10 or beyond.



Training shall be based solely on feel,
while racing shall be guided by sensations and instinct.


Cuylar Conly