Tuesday 080911

Loving the energy right now in the blogosphere I visit: big alpine trips, conversations about summer winding down, predictions and sandbagging about the next big race in Europe, Leadville or Manitou. Great stuff. 

 

Sandbags … have you got yours up yet?

 

Apparently such chatter is impacting my broader mental state. I had a dream last night that I showed up for the Pikes Ascent to watch and several of the racers had pinned their number to their chest. As in not their race jerseys but their chest. Pin through skin.

Probably not a strategy I am going to pull on race day.  Picture motivated by Derrick’s comment below.

 

AM - easy three with the dog, tossing the disc for her to catch.

Excellent article on 10000 hours of practice over at SOS.

The week in MUT.

Thinking of putting up a prediction contest for me for PPM, ala Lucho. I'd put up a six of my EPO-IPA, but I am a bit hesitant because of possible shipping nightmares (if a winner was out of state).

I think this statement on potential is well said.

Mid day - pretty warm out. I was debating if I felt up for it, but decided I wanted to do the Simms Hill workout anyway. My mental debate was whether I wanted to face the results the hill would produce. I knew the splits would be slower than I probably wished for, and I felt less than eager to see that. It is sort of like going to the dentist when you have not been flossing. You know you are going to hear about it. You just don't want to. But there is nothing I can do about where I am fitness wise - except deal with it.

PPM is as much a mental test as anything: when things start to go wrong, it can be compounded with bad thoughts that only make the problems worse ... a negative feedback loop for sure. Alternatively, when things are going well - that can leap frog to even better performance as you build confidence off of that.

My today was that even though I may not want to face where I was at - I was going to make this workout happen. The times would be whatever they would be, but I was going to get a workout of it, rather than succumb to thinking I ought not do the workout because I could do it as I had last year. I am not in the physical shape I was last year. That does not need to drive my mental state. And so it won't.

3:38, 3:58R, 3:35, 3:55R (and then a 2:25 bio break in the ditch), 3:35. 4:24R, 3:39, 4:24R, 3:35, 4:32R, 3:33. 8 miles total.