Exams

Exams are over!

4 in 5 days last week was not enjoyable but as of Saturday they are all wrapped up with only months and months of stress free training ahead :)

I am already loving being able to relax in between sessions and the sun has made a few appearances of late so I've been getting outside too.

I've been reading a lot of blogs recently and I get the same impression from many of them...that hard training (plus everything that goes along with it) is a drag. I'm sure it's not intentional but I guess when athletes sit down and reflect on their days and weeks the feeling that comes to the surface is "fed-up-ness" as I like to put it. I would say some guys and girls out there are fed up, not having the same sick love of cold and wet bike rides as I do, but most are just tired while blogging and probably love their crazy swim and run sessions as much as everyone else.

I think it would be easy, as an age group triathlete, to read the Pro blogs and think "hey this guy's complaining about something I wish I could be doing everyday". But I don't think it should be taken this way, these guys will still love all the work and training that goes into race prep but I guess it can get to a stage where the training no longer seems like the most important part but the racing and the money take that title.


This I guess is dangerous as you can forget why you're doing it. No one leaves their high school careers meeting after being told by the advisor to go out and be an athlete. In general it isn't financially stable or too rewarding either but if you head out in the rain enough, on the mornings when it's cold and dark and Simon Whitfield stayed in bed then one day it will "pay off" be it in terms of money, recognition or just personal happiness.

I don't think it matters why you are training hard, it could be to win, to break the top 10, to finish, to race for the memory of a friend, for your family or for yourself...it's the fact that you are pushing your limits a little more than the next guy and hopefully in doing so you'll inspire him to push his limits too.

I think the Pros out there still hold that close, even if money can get in the way sometimes, deep down they are limit pushers and that is something to be proud of!

Mike