Feeling

I got in a couple of good rides yesterday. On the way to work I did some hill climbing intervals.  After work I did a longer 40 mile ride, the long way home.  I realized something about my training.  I know most of the pieces, I'm sure there are some things I don't yes ( yes, hard to believe), but piecing everything together at the proper time is turning out to be quite difficult. 

I was thinking as I rode that I have never been at this stage of fitness, in the past 3 yrs, at this time of year.  I typically start training around Thanksgiving, making sure I have plenty of miles in by the time Cohutta rolls around in April.   This year, however, I only started training in January, and really am lacking the confidence to attempt a 100 miler on dirt,  in the heat.  So, I made the switch to the Big Frog 65.  I did this one last year, and it is a lot of fun!!  I feel much better about it, and the pressure of the 100 miler is gone.

I was thinking about how I felt, how my legs felt, and how my body was responding to training.  I tend to compare myself to how I felt last week, last month and last year.  I think that I am not as fit as I was last year at this time, because I don't feel as good as I did. 

That is an odd way to feel considering I just finished 1 more lap than last year at the 6hrs of Warrior Creek. 

And then my thoughts drifted to life in general.  I often think back to periods in life and how I felt at that time, and wonder why I don't feel like that anymore.  Sometimes, I think it would be nice to be able to recreate that feeling here and now.  Whether is was a feeling of security, joy etc.  It does help me to look at my circumstances of the time and realize what was going on that was making me feel good. 

But, I wonder if we spend too much time trying to re-create the past.  Do we try to live today, how we lived in college, or childhood, or parenthood?  Do we try to do the same things, or similar, to bring back that good feeling?  Do we talk like we did, act like we did, and in a sense refuse to change or mature, because it was right at that moment,  like a good movie that can be replayed. 

I think we tend to do these things.  Just like in training, I try to replicate last year's plan because I was seeing lots of improvement.   We tend to replicate an activity, a family gathering, a hobby.  We tend to do these on a regular basis, trying to replicate the good feelings that came from it.  

But just as in training,  we need to adapt,  we need to change.  The situation is different, and if we try to stay the same it won't work. 

What if we spent the energy living today.   Going through what today presents and not trying to re-create yesterday. I ride the same trails because they are fun, but I never ride the same trail the same as I did last time.  It is impossible to do so. 

So, stop trying to re-create yesterday and start living today.  There are a whole slew of new experiences waiting for you!!

Have a great day.