I finally figured out the key to success? Consistent hard work, day after day, week after week, year after year. No magic bullet. No shortcuts. Seems crazy right? Well it really isn't and here is how I know.
I ran my first ever road race on June 14, 2008. That is roughly 1,311 days ago, give or take (actually it is exact, thanks to google). It was a 5 miler and thanks to Athlinks.com I finished in a not too shabby 37:28. I did this on zero training and just went out and ran as hard as I could for as long as I could. And that worked for a while and I then moved on to some duathlons, and other little races that I thought would be fun. To say I trained for anything specific would be a half truth. Basically I knew what I had coming up and just kinda made sure I could complete the race. That all changed in February of 2009. I was offered a race number for the Boston Marathon. To say it changed the way I trained and looked at endurance sports would be a huge understatement. When you get an opportunity in life or anything for that matter I am a firm believer that if you work hard and put in the time, everything will work out fine. I started training for the marathon on Feb 22, 2009 having never run more than 10 miles. The only reason that I had even had a 10 miler in me was that I was gearing up for the Hyannis marathon the following week.
So there it was, late Feb one week out from my first ever half marathon and I get a call to accept a number for the Boston marathon which was 7 weeks away. I took it knowing full well I may never get another chance to run the holy grail of marathons, especially one that was in my back yard. So for all intensive purposes that is when I started the long, hard journey of making my self the best I could be at sport. Truth be told I had asked for a log book for Christmas because I had planned on getting into sprint triathlons later in the following year. So my journey essentially started on Monday January 5, 2009.
I recently closed out yet another log book for which I admittedly was not very good at utilizing when I first started out. I have however come to see the value of keeping a solid log book and took some time recently to sift through the data and lay it out in front of me. What I found was the key to my success. And even though you hear it all the time that hard work and consistency is the key, I guess I never really stopped believing that I was doing something wrong. It couldn't be that simple right? Maybe I just was not meant to be a top guy, the type of guy who could really go out and have a legitimate shot of getting on a podium. Well what I found was very black and white. The numbers don't lie. I thought it would be cool to really go back and read through each log book and dissect what each had meant. Here is what I found:
2009- 275 hours trained
36 hours of swimming (82,375 yds)
50 hours of biking (939 miles)
145 hours of running (960 miles)
44 hours of strength training
2010- 381 hours trained
77 hours of swimming (197,125 yds)
115 hours of biking (2262 miles)
154 hours of running (1009 miles)
36 hours of strength training
2011- 530 hours trained
102 hours of swimming (281,600 yds)
236 hours of biking (4222 miles)
159 hours of running (1141 miles)
27 hours of strength training
There it is, the key to success, hard work and consistency. Day after day, week after week. The alarm goes off everyday and everyday I put in the work. Sure you need to train smart and learn to do things properly (i.e. swimming). But at the end of the day the harder you work and more consistent you become in your training the better you will become. I have said here many times that I don't know if I will ever be a "Kona" guy, but I do know that to get there I need to train in the 600 to 700 hour range per year. Realistically that may not even be enough. At the end of the day though whether I make it or not, I will know that I did everything the right way. I worked hard and I never took a shortcut to get where I end up.
I choose to do this sport and I choose to give it everything I have. I am a all or nothing type of guy. I get a kick out of people who act like I am miserable having to do long bikes, or runs or get up before the sun to go to a pool. I live for this stuff and hope to be able to do it as long as my body allows. And now that I have the blueprint for success I am even more intrigued at what I can accomplish in the next three years.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Live like a dog
As many of you know I got a dog this year. I was never a dog person, grew up with them but never really had any attachment to our family dogs. However the wife wanted a dog and wanting her to be safe when I am not home, we got a dog. Not just any dog. We went with the biggest, baddest, meanest dog known to man. Ok actually he is a big pussy cat but boy does he look mean.So I got to thinking the other day about his traits that make him, well the best thing ever. So I came up with a list of things that dogs do and the way they approach things, that can easily be applied to our daily lives. Here is my top ten list of ways to live like a dog.
#1- Give 110% all the time. Not a day goes by that this dog does not give it everything he has from sun up to sun down. Wether he is sleeping our playing catch, or even trying to get his paws on a wayward shoe. He only has one gear and that gear is known as all out. Do this and you can never go wrong. Don't do anything half assed. You are just wasting your time and your return on investment will not pay off.
#2- Be consistent. If I leave the toilet seat up, and he is in the area he will drink from the toilet. He usually has just come from drinking from his dog bowl but regardless he will taste that water. Certain things he will do everyday no matter what and this is one of them. Consistency pays off, especially when it comes to athletics. You can't swim once a week and become a better swimmer. Swim everyday and you will get some where.
#3- Play hard, rest hard. As hard as he plays he without a doubt rests harder. His life is a cycle of go hard and sleep hard. Like pass out immediately upon going on his bed hard. I fall asleep every night around 10:30 with very little effort. Why? because I bust my ass all day training and working so when I go to bed I am exhausted. People wonder why they have a hard time sleeping, when they don't exercise and sit at a desk all day. Exhaust your body and mind and sleep will come easy.
#4- Wake up everyday like it is the greastest day EVER! Every morning when I come down stairs to let Miles (yes named after the measurement of distance) out he literally jumps up and down, barrels into me and whines like a wounded giraffe. Get up and start everyday as if it is a new day with new possibilites. Yesterdays bad day can be forgotten if you choose not to re-live it.
#5- Get excited about something. When I say the word "park" Miles literally runs around the house and gets so excited he becomes unaware of where he is and runs into walls and couches. When was the last time you did something that got you this excited? Every time I do a race, wether it's a 5k or a Ironman I get crazy excited to the point of nerves. Not because I don't think I can do it because I can't wait to do something so hard and rewarding. It doesn't have to be a race but could be a concert or a hobby, but when was the last time you really were nervous,scared,couldn't sleep for something you were about to do.
#6- Be curious. If I leave any type of food out on the counter or happen to not pick up a sock from the dryer you better believe that he will check it out. For him that means putting it in his mouth and running around until he can safely bring it into his room and really chew/investigate what it is he has. Try different things. Get out of your comfort zone and sign up for something you never in a million years you thought you would do. If that means a race, a cooking class or even take a college class that intersts you. Do something different, learn all about it and give it 110%.
#7- Learn to love a routine. Their is a great book I read (can't think of the name off hand) that said in order to be successfull at something you need to do it consistantly for a long period of time. You very rarely forget to brush your teeth because you have done it everyday for your entire life. Do this with eating healthy or going to the gym and it will be something that becomes part of who you are. Or in Miles case wake up, go the bathroom, lay around for a hour, beg to go out and play, eat breakfast, rest, play some more, eat dinner, rest, repeat....everyday for the rest of your life.
#8- Love to run. Or whatever it is you do, love it. If it becomes a chore you will not succed at it. My wife Amy likes to run, sometimes, she does however love spin class and will always find time to do it. I love working out so when other people roll their eyes about 6 hours on the bike or 3 hour runs I tell them I love it so it is not hard to get out that door. Miles runs/trots everywhere. Sure it helps to have 4 legs instead of two but just try keeping up with him at the park and you soon see that he just likes to move along.
#9- Join a pack. We are Miles pack. I am convinced that he thinks we are tall dogs. We make strange noises we do everything with him and we have a bond that can never be broken. Join a training group or take a class with others that motivate you to be there and get it down. If you isolate yourself and never join a pack then you will go through life not being able to share the good times with anyone else.
#10- If you got a itch, itch it. We are convinced Miles has the first known case of invisible fleas. He goes to town when he itches (see, Gives 110%)and we have yet to figure out why. If there is something you want to try, do it. Don't let the itch linger as it will only get worse. If you want something go get it. If you have been itching to try something knew why wait. If life gets in the way so be it, but don't make excuses because eventually it will eat away at you and become a regret and not a itch. You can't scratch regrets.
#1- Give 110% all the time. Not a day goes by that this dog does not give it everything he has from sun up to sun down. Wether he is sleeping our playing catch, or even trying to get his paws on a wayward shoe. He only has one gear and that gear is known as all out. Do this and you can never go wrong. Don't do anything half assed. You are just wasting your time and your return on investment will not pay off.
#2- Be consistent. If I leave the toilet seat up, and he is in the area he will drink from the toilet. He usually has just come from drinking from his dog bowl but regardless he will taste that water. Certain things he will do everyday no matter what and this is one of them. Consistency pays off, especially when it comes to athletics. You can't swim once a week and become a better swimmer. Swim everyday and you will get some where.
#3- Play hard, rest hard. As hard as he plays he without a doubt rests harder. His life is a cycle of go hard and sleep hard. Like pass out immediately upon going on his bed hard. I fall asleep every night around 10:30 with very little effort. Why? because I bust my ass all day training and working so when I go to bed I am exhausted. People wonder why they have a hard time sleeping, when they don't exercise and sit at a desk all day. Exhaust your body and mind and sleep will come easy.
#4- Wake up everyday like it is the greastest day EVER! Every morning when I come down stairs to let Miles (yes named after the measurement of distance) out he literally jumps up and down, barrels into me and whines like a wounded giraffe. Get up and start everyday as if it is a new day with new possibilites. Yesterdays bad day can be forgotten if you choose not to re-live it.
#5- Get excited about something. When I say the word "park" Miles literally runs around the house and gets so excited he becomes unaware of where he is and runs into walls and couches. When was the last time you did something that got you this excited? Every time I do a race, wether it's a 5k or a Ironman I get crazy excited to the point of nerves. Not because I don't think I can do it because I can't wait to do something so hard and rewarding. It doesn't have to be a race but could be a concert or a hobby, but when was the last time you really were nervous,scared,couldn't sleep for something you were about to do.
#6- Be curious. If I leave any type of food out on the counter or happen to not pick up a sock from the dryer you better believe that he will check it out. For him that means putting it in his mouth and running around until he can safely bring it into his room and really chew/investigate what it is he has. Try different things. Get out of your comfort zone and sign up for something you never in a million years you thought you would do. If that means a race, a cooking class or even take a college class that intersts you. Do something different, learn all about it and give it 110%.
#7- Learn to love a routine. Their is a great book I read (can't think of the name off hand) that said in order to be successfull at something you need to do it consistantly for a long period of time. You very rarely forget to brush your teeth because you have done it everyday for your entire life. Do this with eating healthy or going to the gym and it will be something that becomes part of who you are. Or in Miles case wake up, go the bathroom, lay around for a hour, beg to go out and play, eat breakfast, rest, play some more, eat dinner, rest, repeat....everyday for the rest of your life.
#8- Love to run. Or whatever it is you do, love it. If it becomes a chore you will not succed at it. My wife Amy likes to run, sometimes, she does however love spin class and will always find time to do it. I love working out so when other people roll their eyes about 6 hours on the bike or 3 hour runs I tell them I love it so it is not hard to get out that door. Miles runs/trots everywhere. Sure it helps to have 4 legs instead of two but just try keeping up with him at the park and you soon see that he just likes to move along.
#9- Join a pack. We are Miles pack. I am convinced that he thinks we are tall dogs. We make strange noises we do everything with him and we have a bond that can never be broken. Join a training group or take a class with others that motivate you to be there and get it down. If you isolate yourself and never join a pack then you will go through life not being able to share the good times with anyone else.
#10- If you got a itch, itch it. We are convinced Miles has the first known case of invisible fleas. He goes to town when he itches (see, Gives 110%)and we have yet to figure out why. If there is something you want to try, do it. Don't let the itch linger as it will only get worse. If you want something go get it. If you have been itching to try something knew why wait. If life gets in the way so be it, but don't make excuses because eventually it will eat away at you and become a regret and not a itch. You can't scratch regrets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)