Trying Harder

On my bike ride in to work today, with plans to "go fast", I didn't manage to go very fast. So I analyzed my effort. I realized pretty quickly that in my 23-25 minute rides to work and my slightly longer rides home (It's mostly downhill there, mostly uphill back), that I was not feeling at the end of my rides the way I feel at the end of a 5K running race. The easy conclusion is that I was not working as hard on my bike as I work when I run.

So I decided to focus on effort level for the ride home.

I made it home in my fastest time ever for a ride home from work.

I thought I was trying hard, but I got tricked by my brain again.

I just had to try harder.

Getting Back on Track

The winter break has been good for me. I'm getting back on track and re-energized. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. A little more struggling and schedules will settle down a bit.

I'm looking forward to having time to go to Louisville for training again.

I'm looking forward to having more time to plan for classes.

I'm looking forward to having more energy for classes and special events.

Tough Week.

Emma's been sick, I've been sick, I've gotten off my schedule. I'm going to have to make it up.

That's part of the process though.

Narrow Path

I am trying to remember to be what I want to see in the world. I want to see people striving for personal improvement, working to improve the lives of those around them, and being joyful while doing it all.

This is a challenge. I think I need to research some role models on this.

Re-evaluate

Things are going pretty well so far, I'm getting into a routine and learning a lot about my strengths and weaknesses.

I'm eating pretty well, avoiding a lot of bad for me stuff, but logging my food intake is making me realize I need to focus on making sure I get my veggies.

Balancing all the physical requirements is tough. I think I over estimated the amount I could do in a week, so I've adjusted some goals downward. It is the wise way to go so as to avoid injury.

Racing Thursday, then holiday travels.

Motivation Comes After the First Mile

My wife once said to me when she was getting ready to go out on a run. "I don't feel motivated to do this, but motivation comes after the first mile." What she meant by that was that sometimes you have to get out and get moving even when you aren't feeling any motivation and often once you get going you feel motivated to continue. That is what I've been doing to get motivated with all my training lately. On days when I don't feel motivated, I get up and at it anyway. Sometimes motivation follows, but not always. Even when motivation doesn't come, I at least get my workout in.

Some days it is easy and fun.

Some days it is a chore.

Just get up and train.

Fighting the Slump

One of the purposes of this project, this journey, this challenge, is to help me through this current slump.

I've been through several kung fu slumps, I've let slumps defeat me in other areas, I've seen plenty of others go through kung fu slumps. I've often given advice to people who are in a slump. Most of them quit kung fu during their first slump. Most that make it through the first one quit during the next one.

Having been through several slumps now, I have some bad news for those with less experience. It hasn't gotten easier to break out of them. It takes hard work.

Of course, that's what kung fu means isn't it, "hard work".

So what's the key to getting through the slump? I doubt there is any one key, but what works for me is allowing myself to feel unmotivated without giving myself grief or guilt about it, making a plan for how I will train through my slump, then working hard through the end of the slump.