SIMPLE PLEASURES

I had an easy 5-6 miles planned for this morning. However, I was wide awake at 5 AM, so I decided to get up and go 8 miles instead. I actually felt pretty good, considering my hard workout was less than 12 hours ago. I kept the pace really easy and tried to soak in the beautiful morning, 57 degrees, sunny, calm. It would have been perfect for a summertime road race. At the end of the run, I threw in a few strides.

With the cooler temps I got to enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures after the run – a hot shower. Lately it’s been so hot and humid; I end up taking a cold shower to help lower my body temp. Cranking the heat felt really good.

Yesterday afternoon the power went out at work. After standing around for a few minutes, I decided to head down to the fitness center and do a quick weight workout. I haven’t lifted in probably 3-4 months, but I’ve been thinking about it. The power outage gave me the perfect opportunity to start again. I just worked on my chest, bis, tris and shoulders with 3 sets of very light weights. I also limited the range of motion on the chest and bi exercises to help reduce the soreness that’s sure to occur in a day or two.

After lifting I returned to my desk only to find out that the power would be out for another hour. Luckily, I have the book Ironwill in my cube. According to the back cover, it’s about “the heart and drive of the Ironman-class triathlete accurately capturing the ultra-endurance philosophy…” It’s one of those books I can pick up where I left off, even if it’s been a few months. One thing that stands out to me is how much guys like Mark Allen, Dave Scott, Scott Tinley, etc. sound like Bill Rodgers, Patti Dillon, Hodgie-san and Malmo from the “1979 vs. today” thread I’ve been mentioning lately.

For example, here’s a quote from Mark Allen.

“I’m sure that there are plenty of people who could be at the top of this sport, or any sport, who aren’t at the top because they haven’t learned to push through the pain.”

I imagine the top athletes of today have similar thoughts about pushing through the pain, but you never seem to read about that kind of stuff.