Mid-April. The mind starts wandering towards the end goals: June racing at Rev3 Quassy. July workouts leading into August's Rev3 Maine, which all builds to September's Cedar Point adventure.
You then flash to Kingfield, home of Sugarloaf Mountain, and discover fully covered trails, high elevation, cool temperatures, and plenty of vibrant sun.
Yep, it's allegedly spring, and yet there's so much snow here that you'd swear it's merely the January warm cycle. For the uninitiated, without fail there is always a January thaw where we have temperatures in the 40s, and then it ducks well back below freezing again. Hence the term "boilerplate" snow. Some will mistakenly call this "ice." It can't be ice, as there are no fish beneath it.
Spring in Maine can be something else. Take, for instance, this past week worth of workouts and the clothing range required:
Monday: 10 mile run; needed hat, gloves, tights, two layers on top. Temperature: 31 degrees.
Tuesday: Run around Back Cove. Base layer and short sleeve on top, shorts. 50 degrees.
Wednesday: Master's swim (aka attempted drowning).
Thursday: Two hours on the bike. Tights and cycling shorts, but just a base layer and jersey on top. Gloves and hat. 45 degrees.
Friday: Day off.
Saturday: Heavy rain for the run. But warm, so base layer + waterproof jacket to go with the tights. 50 degrees.
Sunday: Three hours on the bike. But it's a mind-numbing 31 degrees. So we've got tights, shoe covers, hat, gloves, three layers on top, etc.
And then we're skiing on Monday with a super light jacket, no thermals needed.
Yep, just Maine for you.
It's why I've come to embrace the journey along the way to my goals. One of the things I've learned to appreciate more are the moments in a workout, or the workouts themselves. Yes, keeping the goal in sight is important. All of the work is building to a moment. But also being lost in the fun of skiing moguls, climbing and descending on the bike, running in a great city, swimming with good people...there's a lot of fun to be had along the way.
It's also about discovering more about yourself. Unlocking the doors in your own head to tap into your potential. Discovering what products work for you to help you reach what your mind unlocked. (Note: blog posts forthcoming about some new stuff from Pearl Izumi, PowerBar, and Compex that I'm VERY excited about).
So...is it spring where you are? And what are you finding out about yourself as we swing towards the proving grounds of race season?
No comments:
Post a Comment