Once upon a time in my youth I took classical guitar lessons. I wanted to be a rock guitarist but the only place in my town that had lessons had classical guitar lessons. So I signed up.
One song that gave me a particularly hard time was a beautiful arrangement of Dear Prudence by the Beatles. What made it particularly difficult was a finger picking technique that went with the chords. The chords progression was simple but the finger picking technique was intricate and had a flowing rolling rhythm that looked and sounded simple but was anything but. My teacher warned me that I would struggle with it.
He was so right. I struggled with it every day for weeks. I scrutinized the sheet music thinking the answer was there. I watched my teacher intently as he demonstrated the technique and still it eluded me. I just couldn’t get it. I was frustrated to the point of quitting. My teacher told me that no amount of explaining or demonstrating would work – it was just something I would have to learn to feel.
Feel? What the hell is that? Man this sucked. I began to wish I'd taken up the drums.
But I kept at it. And then one night it just happened. I was sitting on the edge of my bed practicing and suddenly my fingers slid from labored and off-kilter to an effortless flowing rhythm. I stared stupefied at my fingers as they wove magic over the strings. Feel. I had it. It was in my fingers. And it felt fantastic.
I learned an important lesson that day. A lesson that continues to serve me well whenever I find myself struggling with my swim, my spin, or my run. Some things you can’t arrive at by analysis. Some things only come by feel. It can't be taught. It can’t be shown. But when you get it right, you know it. It’s a frustrating process that takes all your persistence and determination but when you finally get it it’s definitely worth the trip.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Schedules
Tonight is Daddy-Daughter date night. Once a month Pip and I go out on a "date". Usually this ends up being dinner with a trip to Baskin Robbins for Ice Cream afterwards. This is a "tradition" that started a few months back when I began to realize that Pip and I just weren't spending a lot of quality time together. We spend a lot of "family" time together, just not a lot of one-on-one time. The kind of time that strengthens relationships. The kind of time that if I don't take advantage of it now, I'll regret it later.
The fact that this is "scheduled" time doesn't lessen it's relevance to Pip and I. It's not a have to - it's a want to. However if we didn't schedule the time it would be easily overlooked. Easily postponed. Sort of like workouts. If you don't schedule them then other things in life will press in and fill the space, leaving you with an empty "where did all my time go?" feeling at the end of the week.
We're usually pretty good at scheduling work meetings, doctors visits, and workouts. These are the "mechanics of life" things, the have to's, and are a necessary part of life. However it's also just as important to set aside time for the fun things. Dates with your kids or spouse. A night out with good friends. A surprise family vacation. The want to's. The "Joire de Vivre" things. These are the things that will make you smile when you ask yourself "where did all my time go?" at the end of the week. These are the things that make the have to's worth it.
Workout Summary
No more summaries - I've recently setup a Training Peaks website to plan and manage my workouts. All my workout plans and results will be posted there from now on.
The fact that this is "scheduled" time doesn't lessen it's relevance to Pip and I. It's not a have to - it's a want to. However if we didn't schedule the time it would be easily overlooked. Easily postponed. Sort of like workouts. If you don't schedule them then other things in life will press in and fill the space, leaving you with an empty "where did all my time go?" feeling at the end of the week.
We're usually pretty good at scheduling work meetings, doctors visits, and workouts. These are the "mechanics of life" things, the have to's, and are a necessary part of life. However it's also just as important to set aside time for the fun things. Dates with your kids or spouse. A night out with good friends. A surprise family vacation. The want to's. The "Joire de Vivre" things. These are the things that will make you smile when you ask yourself "where did all my time go?" at the end of the week. These are the things that make the have to's worth it.
Workout Summary
No more summaries - I've recently setup a Training Peaks website to plan and manage my workouts. All my workout plans and results will be posted there from now on.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Bubbles
This time of year it seems I always cast about for things to add to my life as I continue my endless quest for self development and fulfillment. Unfortunately the pattern of my life is pretty full. It's a complicated framework of little bubbles that continuously expand and contract over time. The whole framework fits neatly inside of a box which defines my boundaries. If I want to expand one bubble I have to collapse another in order still fit everything inside the box. If I don't do this then the bubbles will begin squeezing together tightly causing tension. Sometimes I have to take a bubble or two out of the box to relieve the tension. If the bubbles are permitted to expand uncontrollably then the tension will become to great. "POP!" For the record, popping is bad.
Making more room in one bubble is a process of give and take. This time of year the family bubble expands as holidays and hockey fill the pattern. To compensate my workout bubble shrinks a bit. Come spring and summer there will need to be more workout time as I prep for Ironman USA. More bubular adjustment.
This is a great system except for one thing - certain bubbles don't like to contract. They get accustomed to their size and relative importance within the box and don't want to be tampered with. My workout bubble is definitely one of those. Unfortunately this time of the year requires other bubbles to grow so I have let some air out of my workout bubble.
The air exits in a loud and defiant squeal. This of course wakes up Dennis who uses the opportunity to try to redirect some of the lost air into the guilt bubble. Guilt bubbles have a special property - any air that is added to them doubles in volume. Due to this property guilt bubbles grow very large very quickly resulting in lots of tension inside the box. Dennis loves the sound of popping. He eases back in his recliner and prepares for the fireworks, his lips twisting into a smug satisfied smile. Fortunately for me the nameless one is very smart. Right side shoulder angels are like that. He has installed a clever little release valve on the guilt bubble. At first it expands and causes tension inside the box. But then the guilt bubble slowly deflates and the tension is released. Dennis looks puzzled and scratches his head unable to comprehend how this could possibly be. He's not very bright. Left side shoulder angels are like that.
Popping is bad. Manage your bubbles well. Especially that guilt one.
Workout Summary
5 mile run - LSD (Wednesday)
20 minute swim - S&D (Thursday)
45 minute spin class - endurance (Thursday)
5 mile run - LSD (Thursday)
30 minutes circuit/core/stretch (Thursday)
3000 yd swim - LSD (Friday)
2.5 hour spin class - mixed (Saturday)
11 mile run - LSD (Sunday)
2160 yd swim - LSD (today)
45 minute spin class - endurance (today)
4 mile run - LSD (today)
30 minutes circuit/core/stretch (today)
Obviously my blogging bubble has been contracted a bit lately!
Had great energy on all workouts last week. Thursday's brick featured another run in single digit temps with below 0 wind chills. Good times. For my long swim Friday I went a little harder than I should have but I was getting great rotation and pull and felt great in the water so I went with it. Shoulders were a bit sore later as a result. Lifetime Fitness in Schaumburg added another spin class to their morning schedule so I went out and did the two back to back. Will continue this until the weather improves and I can get back outside. Sunday's long run felt great as well - all in all a good solid week into the Ironman account.
Todays workouts had a bit less energy - likely due to lack of sleep. My daughter got scared by the rain last night and climbed into bed with us at about 2:30. Did I mention she snores and grinds her teeth?
Making more room in one bubble is a process of give and take. This time of year the family bubble expands as holidays and hockey fill the pattern. To compensate my workout bubble shrinks a bit. Come spring and summer there will need to be more workout time as I prep for Ironman USA. More bubular adjustment.
This is a great system except for one thing - certain bubbles don't like to contract. They get accustomed to their size and relative importance within the box and don't want to be tampered with. My workout bubble is definitely one of those. Unfortunately this time of the year requires other bubbles to grow so I have let some air out of my workout bubble.
The air exits in a loud and defiant squeal. This of course wakes up Dennis who uses the opportunity to try to redirect some of the lost air into the guilt bubble. Guilt bubbles have a special property - any air that is added to them doubles in volume. Due to this property guilt bubbles grow very large very quickly resulting in lots of tension inside the box. Dennis loves the sound of popping. He eases back in his recliner and prepares for the fireworks, his lips twisting into a smug satisfied smile. Fortunately for me the nameless one is very smart. Right side shoulder angels are like that. He has installed a clever little release valve on the guilt bubble. At first it expands and causes tension inside the box. But then the guilt bubble slowly deflates and the tension is released. Dennis looks puzzled and scratches his head unable to comprehend how this could possibly be. He's not very bright. Left side shoulder angels are like that.
Popping is bad. Manage your bubbles well. Especially that guilt one.
Workout Summary
Obviously my blogging bubble has been contracted a bit lately!
Had great energy on all workouts last week. Thursday's brick featured another run in single digit temps with below 0 wind chills. Good times. For my long swim Friday I went a little harder than I should have but I was getting great rotation and pull and felt great in the water so I went with it. Shoulders were a bit sore later as a result. Lifetime Fitness in Schaumburg added another spin class to their morning schedule so I went out and did the two back to back. Will continue this until the weather improves and I can get back outside. Sunday's long run felt great as well - all in all a good solid week into the Ironman account.
Todays workouts had a bit less energy - likely due to lack of sleep. My daughter got scared by the rain last night and climbed into bed with us at about 2:30. Did I mention she snores and grinds her teeth?
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Ignorance is Bliss
Somedays it works out better if you don't know what's coming.
In a previous life I lived in Hong Kong for a couple of years where I was working as a field implementation manager. I frequently had lunch with my install and technical crews - all of them locals. We'd usually stop at out of the way, off the beaten path places for lunch. We'd eat Chinese style - they'd order a ton of dishes which were placed in the middle of the table, then everyone would grab whatever they wanted. Most times I recognized what I was eating but occasionally I'd grab something that I didn't recognize. When I'd ask the guys what it was they'd smile, bob their heads, jabber in Chinese for a bit, chuckle and then say "you really don't want to know.". It didn't matter - whatever the heck it was it was great.
Much later I learned what it was that I was eating. Usually it was pretty mundane - chicken, beef, or vegetables and the like. However there were also few that weren't so mundane - snake, shark fin, chicken feet, various organs, etc. Had I known what many of them were I'm sure I wouldn't have tried them. Turns out I really like snake a lot. Fish cheeks are another favorite. Who would have guessed.
I missed the weather report before I headed out for the health club this morning. I did my usual swim and spin class, and then got on my tights and layered up for my run outside. I got a lot of "you've gotta be kidding me" looks from the regulars. I popped out the doors and hit the road.
About a mile in to the run my run watch began updating itself in slow motion - apparently the liquid crystal was turning to sludge. My iPod bagged it at mile 2. My goatee, eye brows, and the front of my hat were covered by a layer of frost by the end of my 3.5 mile run. Despite all this I was quite comfortable and had a great run. Must be in the 20's I thought.
Back at the health club I caught the weather on TV while I was walking by. 4 degrees. -2 wind chill. Had I known that it was that cold before my run I might have punted. I would have come up with dozens of excuses why I shouldn't run outside. Dennis would have been thrilled to help out - he's great at coming up with excuses to bag a workout. As it was, I didn't know. By not knowing how cold it was, I didn't think about it. Didn't stress over it. And it was great. Kind of like snake but a little more slippery.
Workout Summary
3060 yd swim (Saturday)
13 mile run (Sunday)
30 minute swim - S&D
45 minute spin class - High tension intervals
3.5 mile run - LSD
In a previous life I lived in Hong Kong for a couple of years where I was working as a field implementation manager. I frequently had lunch with my install and technical crews - all of them locals. We'd usually stop at out of the way, off the beaten path places for lunch. We'd eat Chinese style - they'd order a ton of dishes which were placed in the middle of the table, then everyone would grab whatever they wanted. Most times I recognized what I was eating but occasionally I'd grab something that I didn't recognize. When I'd ask the guys what it was they'd smile, bob their heads, jabber in Chinese for a bit, chuckle and then say "you really don't want to know.". It didn't matter - whatever the heck it was it was great.
Much later I learned what it was that I was eating. Usually it was pretty mundane - chicken, beef, or vegetables and the like. However there were also few that weren't so mundane - snake, shark fin, chicken feet, various organs, etc. Had I known what many of them were I'm sure I wouldn't have tried them. Turns out I really like snake a lot. Fish cheeks are another favorite. Who would have guessed.
I missed the weather report before I headed out for the health club this morning. I did my usual swim and spin class, and then got on my tights and layered up for my run outside. I got a lot of "you've gotta be kidding me" looks from the regulars. I popped out the doors and hit the road.
About a mile in to the run my run watch began updating itself in slow motion - apparently the liquid crystal was turning to sludge. My iPod bagged it at mile 2. My goatee, eye brows, and the front of my hat were covered by a layer of frost by the end of my 3.5 mile run. Despite all this I was quite comfortable and had a great run. Must be in the 20's I thought.
Back at the health club I caught the weather on TV while I was walking by. 4 degrees. -2 wind chill. Had I known that it was that cold before my run I might have punted. I would have come up with dozens of excuses why I shouldn't run outside. Dennis would have been thrilled to help out - he's great at coming up with excuses to bag a workout. As it was, I didn't know. By not knowing how cold it was, I didn't think about it. Didn't stress over it. And it was great. Kind of like snake but a little more slippery.
Workout Summary
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