{"id":7120,"date":"2021-01-07T20:43:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T20:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2021-january-5-the-first-steps-of-another-journey"},"modified":"2026-04-12T18:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T18:48:25","slug":"2021-january-5-the-first-steps-of-another-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/2021\/01\/07\/2021-january-5-the-first-steps-of-another-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 \u2013 January 5 \u2013 The first steps of another journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Checkin\u2019 IN!!!<\/h3>\n

\n

I take issue with this quote from\u00a0Macca<\/a>. I have always subscribed to the notion: \u201cPlay to win and sometimes have fun, play to have fun and you will always win\u201d. I like what the RD Steve DelMonte (DelMo Sports)<\/a> says before most races he hosts. \u201cFolks today, some of you will race, but we all get to \u201cPLAY\u201d triathlon today!\u201d. Steve then typically speaks about the appreciation of the community and the activities and journeys. While I think Macca is in a different highly competitive space \u2013 so perception and perspectives are at play here, I do not think every triathlete or endurance sports triathlete gets to this competitive plane.\u00a0 Rather, they get to the place where their own personal perception, value, integrity and journey can determine this, and to me that is okay.\u00a0 For many, triathlon is a hobby, it is a release, it is what allows them to feel alive beyond the hamster wheel of responsibility in the sham of supposed work\/life balance paradigm.<\/p>\n

I started to read a new book \u2013 \u201cThe Obstacle Is the Way\u201d by Ryan Holiday.<\/a>
\nAnother quote that is short and simple struck me, this time by Benjamin Franklin \u2013<\/p>\n

\u201cthose things that hurt, instruct!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

When I reflect upon this, trials, challenges, unmet expectations, unwise emotional investments, injuries, traumas and the like ALL provided different levels of instruction \u2013 the vital key to me though, was I listening and learning?<\/p>\n

2020 has provided a lot of opportunities for me, many were seized because I chose to, others were acknowledged and I actively chose to ignore or abstain, and others may have come and gone with or without notice. I am a believer that it is impossible for the mind\/body to compartmentalize stress. So, I try to keep enough space for me to be present and actively engaged. Both in my career and and in personal vectors, this quote digs deep into my headspace and I am grateful for the many lessons learned. I am even more grateful for the wisdom that allows me to reminisce!<\/p>\n

Another quote is: \u201c\u201cOh how blessed young men are who have to struggle for a foundation and a beginning in life. I shall never cease to be grateful for the 3 and 1\/2 years of apprenticeship and the difficulties to be overcome, all along the way.\u201d \u2014 John D. Rockefeller\u201d<\/p>\n

I think I had a label or a categorization of myself wrong for years, I was often told I was a pessimist, I\u2019d\u00a0counter with \u2018realist\u2019. However, I think the term \u201cstoic\u201d is the most apt description. What I lacked was the mindset and the headspace I had not yet earned. I liked a clip from Matthew McConaughey<\/p>\n

\n

where he said his hero was himself 10 years from now, there is a a lot of wisdom in that thought construct. Lessons learned and wisdom gained, growth is awesome when you allow it and nourish it!<\/p>\n

Swimming<\/p>\n

So, of recent I feel that I am finding my groove again. I recently had a thought and I totally flipped the shark in my contextual thinking about this.\u00a0 I have been perusing plans and watching a lot of local swimmers.\u00a0 I recently had this experience and I feel I should share the interaction here mainly as a reminder for me.\u00a0 I posted about it on Facebook:<\/p>\n

Getting it in, let\u2019s go. 1 hour pool session, no watch, wall clock, forgot about distance just swam for time and feel. It was a reframe swim. As I took this pic pre swim, some dude comes running in, straps on snorkel. And starts swimming. That kind of jolted me (pool was full and I was about to take the lane that just cleared) , so I caught myself, and as I let it go about 100 yards into his swim, he stops and asks \u2018we\u2019re you waiting for this lane?\u2019. Yes I was, but get your workout in, I said, your choice wasn\u2019t about me, so let\u2019s not start now. At the end of his swim, and about 1 mile into mine, I had invited another swimmer to split, this type announced his lane was going to be free. Awww, Christmas is in the air. Swimming is my sanctuary and I almost let the actions of another disrupt my headspace. Almost, almost.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I was nearly jolted out of my decent mindset and disrupted and bothered.\u00a0 I was beside myself, and that he even stopped and asked was even more frustrating because I was clearly getting up to wake to the lane and get in.\u00a0 I am glad I collected myself and although a bit terse, that I was able to respond the way I did.\u00a0 My boundary was crossed, and I wasn\u2019t happy about it.\u00a0 Sure I didn\u2019t want to come off as a jerk, but I wasn\u2019t going to be run over either.\u00a0 So, I held my ground and delivered the strong line from above.\u00a0 I\u2019m enjoying the swims again.\u00a0 The post swim itch is getting a bit annoying, and I need to figure that out.\u00a0 Maybe I do need to get the Zyrtec like the dermatologist offered as a recommendation to help control my eczema outbreaks.<\/p>\n

So my swims I am feeling like I am in heading in the correct direction.\u00a0 I am back to swimming a nautical mile and up to 2200 yards or so for my weekly long swim.\u00a0 I am trying to maintain a 3-4 times a week frequency.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to get under 40 minutes for the 70.3 and just to come out strong for the Full swim and not be destroyed.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to be able to go into the bike strong so that I can have gas enough to withstand the brutal rn of 26.2 miles in the Sacramento October weather.\u00a0 So it is nice to return back to the \u2018sanctuary\u2019 and be able to recalibrate and begin the process. The shift from lap counting to 10 minute blocks is also changing my perceived exertion and associated perspectives.\u00a0 Lastly I received a few compliments from other swimmers noting how fast I am, granted I graciously alert them that I don\u2019t feel fast, but I said thank you and kept moving.<\/p>\n

Cycling<\/p>\n

So, I have established a\u00a0Rouvy<\/a>\u00a0subscription and put in a couple post vasectomy procedure rides.\u00a0 The cycling trainer rides aren\u2019t pretty yet and it is just a start.\u00a0 Finding the comfort I am familiar with in the bike saddle will take a bit of time.\u00a0 I will say that it has been good to get back and pedal.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice to not have to worry about traffic and the being completely aware of everything but the cycling.\u00a0 Well, there is one distraction on the trainer.\u00a0 The sweat.\u00a0 Seriously, it\u2019s like turn on the faucet.\u00a0 My work space and supposed pain cave hovers around 65 degrees.\u00a0 Even in that it was a festival of perspiration.\u00a0 MOre to come and updates will follow as I journal things moving forward.<\/p>\n

Running<\/p>\n

Running has been on the back burner.\u00a0 I have gone on a few runs, but its time to put in the 20 minutes of running at least daily.\u00a0 I need to figure out how and where and to manage the fatigue and associate stress.\u00a0 Once I get that going then I will be in full swing.<\/p>\n

Moving Forward<\/p>\n

Looking at doing 70.3 St George in May (May 1, 2021),I need to work through if we can locate lodging and afford it for the family.\u00a0 Chasing options as our normal go to is not currently available.\u00a0 So not looking forward to that and with Covid etc, not sure what other options may be available just yet.\u00a0 Sowe will see about that.<\/p>\n

I am having to rely on being self coached.\u00a0 It just isn\u2019t in the budget to do anything better.\u00a0 \u00a0I am kind of gleaning everything I can and trying to accomplish what I know from my 4 70.3 experiences \u2013 completed 4 in 6 years and ready for a th if I can make it align.\u00a0 Then knowing that the overall endurance leap from Mid May\/June to October is not IMMENSE.\u00a0 If I can manage my stress and not over train and land in injury, I will be well positioned to finish in October.\u00a0 The questions outstanding are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. With Covid will a race in California occur<\/li>\n
  2. Same with May 1 \u2013 St George 70.3<\/li>\n
  3. How will I manage time with family and training<\/li>\n
  4. Can I self coach myself and not give myself too much grace<\/li>\n
  5. Will October be a I am a finisher event or will I be ready to actually RACE<\/li>\n
  6. Plenty more questions for sure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So for now, it\u2019s one step at a time. Starting where I am at and not blowing myself up.\u00a0 Being aware that I am human not a machine.\u00a0 I will try not to be too schmucky as I train.\u00a0 I will try to continue to engender an inclusive come train with me attitude and approach.\u00a0 I will try to be the best dad and husband while I train up.\u00a0 \u00a0I will do my best!<\/p>\n

    <\/h3>\n

    Activity Tracking and Stalking My Workouts \u2013<\/h3>\n

    <\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Training Peaks<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. Garmin Connect<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. Strava<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Relevant Pics<\/h3>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/p>\n

      Because Hashtags Matter<\/p>\n

      #zentriathlete #zenfamily #familybalancetri #desire #determination #discipline #Dedication
      \n#lifestylenotjusttraining #fitbalancehealth #headspace #travel #simpleman #alljourneysbeginwithonestep #sharetheroad #wildtriathlete #wildrunner #walkthecliff #fearthebeard #burntheisland #stayathome #roadtoIMStG2020 #gratitudecookies #grateful #gratitude #lifelessons #sanctuary #justbreathe #perspective #itisntalwayspretty #consistency #beatyesterday
      \n#teamzootmtn #teamzoot #garmin #hydratefaster #smithoptics #speedfil #teamzealios #zealios #zootsports #c26 #c26triathlon<\/p>\n

      #triathlonlifestyle #swimbikerun #trilife #Checkin #roadtoimca2021 #teamzoot #triathlonlife #ironmantraining #2021 #familybalancetri #triathlontraining #teamzootmtn #triathlete #triathlonmotivation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Checkin\u2019 IN!!! I take issue with this quote from\u00a0Macca. I have always subscribed to the notion: \u201cPlay to win and sometimes have fun, play to have fun and you will always win\u201d. I like what the RD Steve DelMonte (DelMo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_eb_attr":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[817,456],"tags":[828,832,835,836,838],"class_list":["post-7120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prnci","category-2021-check-ins","tag-tag-reflections","tag-tag-rituals","tag-tag-triathlon","tag-tag-endurance","tag-tag-tn"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24398,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7120\/revisions\/24398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}