I have often wondered, as I am reasonably sure most males in their 30's have, if I could have played some sport full time or professionally as a career. Just about every guy I know has sat and uttered the words "I bet you I could have gone pro if it wasn't for ...xxxxx " just fill in the blank with some scape goat reason like kids, wives, injury ... you get the picture.
Well ... as I have the week off and am training pretty fiercely for my race in 61 days I am here to remind everyone of just how silly those comments are. Here I am at the 4th day of solid hard (3 -4 hour day training workout schedule) realizing just how difficult doing this as a career would be. Think about one of those days when you get a truly great workout in and the next day you end up cramped, soar, or unable to sit properly. Well now take that feeling, amplify it, and put yourself in a situation where this is perpetual! I am at only day 4 of 9 and already considering a day off to rest .... sheesh !
The other half of this situation that I am finding aggravating is the body fat content monitoring. Today's athletes are not simply just strong people. They are well balanced machines, great BMI, powerful muscle tissue, low body fat, and extremely flexible. As I am hoping to do well is my return to bike racing, I have been paying special attention to my body fat level .... that had got above 9 % while eating Texas steer and drinking Mexican beer and living in Dallas. I have been keeping a food journal, paying special attention to my cardio workouts, and logging my body fat each and every day hoping to get down to 5 or 6 % again. Not so easy now that we are above 30 let me tell you. You may make strides one day and drop a percent, but your body seems to want to balance back off at a higher number and will invariably put some back on.
So what is all this ranting for one might ask? Well I am just here to remind all of you armchair athletes that ever utter the words "I bet I could have been ...." of the reality of just how difficult and silly those dreams are. Wives, print this off as evidence, store it away, and keep it handy the next time your ego driven spouse say something along those lines. Use this as a reminder to him of just how hard it would be, heck even have them call me to explain ...
I will leave you with something I heard Lance Armstrong say at a conference in Texas that sums up my thoughts for the day. If you do not share the same sentiment, then you were NOT meant to be a pro athlete so just let sleeping dogs lay .....
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever"
If you cant think like this .... well then stay on the couch ;-) As for me .. in writing down this rant I have recharged, and am ready to head back to the gym for a painful workout .. and get a leg up on my competition !
Everything in life comes at a price. The best one could hope for is to be as aware as possible of the full cost in advance (ya right), and to have what takes to afford it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Kris, I know you'll do well.
H
Truer words have never been uttered sir Henry ... I do miss having a reliable training partner... when you moving back ;-)
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