How bad racing, suffering and waves can help you
Learn how being undertrained is the best to ride the waves of life
What Is Up! Welcome to Three Thing Thursday.
A modest what is up to the folks that have been here before and a huge WHAT IS UP to all the new faces!
This is the rare endurance sports email blast that uses [way] too many gifs. All in the hopes of a mild smirk (or cringe?!) that sparks you to perform better as you age.
In this edition, we've got one lesson to learn, one awesome way to frame "getting faster" and a guest story about waves, training and life. Let's get into it!
1. Bad racing and training got me to run fast
Two weeks ago I ran the second-fastest 5k time of my life. And I don't think I was even 75% as fit as I was when I ran my fasted 5k five months ago.
Not being the fittest and everything going sideways in my life forced me to do a bunch of things I never did and I learned a lot.
All my b and c races, bad training days and blah performances led me to the point where I know based on my training and fitness exactly what time I'll do. It's kind of like my own crystal ball.
I'm sure I'm slightly underperforming, but I'd rather be undertrained than overtired any day. Always leave a buffer.
Learn more about C-Races here and then read my 5k race recap here.
2. Getting faster hurts
"It never gets easier you just get faster."
- Greg Lemond (The only pro-American cyclist to officially win the Tour de France)
Getting a new best time doesn't mean that racing gets easier. Find out why going faster hurts and what you can do about it.
Go here to learn more.
3. Don't go over, don't go under - go through the wave
A new guest post by Coach Donald Robinson. He's one half of GHPerformance and I'll be having the 2nd half (Khyla Freeman) on next month!
Coach Donald is an amazing all-around runner, running coach, ultimate frisbee player, and writer.
I decided I wanted to go kayaking.
I actually enjoy kayaking and try to go a few times a year. I have gone 3x this year. Most of this year I was in North Park on the calm lake they have there. This time I decided I wanted to go downtown and ride along the shorefronts.
While getting fitted for my vest, Kelly, who works for Venture Outdoors, asked me the basics about having kayaked before: life vest, safety, paddling, etc. As I affirmed that I know what I am doing Kelly then asked me:
“Have you ever kayaked in this (Allegheny) river?”
I replied no, and told her that I’ve really only done lakes recently.
She then explained “well there are a lot of boats out there and they can create some wakes that result in bumpy waves.
To have a smoother ride with the waves you need to kayak perpendicular head-on through the waves. If you let the waves hit the kayak from the sides, it will result in a much bumpier ride.”
As I was out on the water and the first waves of a boat passing approached, I decided to turn the kayak and hit the waves head on.
I hardly bounced! I cut right through the waves easily!
Later on I let the waves hit me sideways, and sure enough, it was a rocky ride. Nothing that made me think that I would tip, but it got bouncy!
As the ride went on it made me think about the problems we face in our lives and how things always seem to get worse when we avoid our issues. And conversely, that usually when we go headfirst into these issues things work out better than the 18,000 scenarios we had in our head.
Yes, I do that too. I think of things that will never happen but seem they could. And it creates some anxious feelings.
When you know you need to increase your miles to train for a big race, when your shoulder is bugging you and gets in your way of everyday life, when you know getting up for an AM walk will help you get fitter, etc it’s so easy to just not do it. Oh well life got in the way.
Then we just let the waves hit us. And we feel the resentment & disappointment toward ourselves and the excuses we mount to attempt to make the waves feel better.
I encourage you to attack those things head on. Even for those problems that loom at work, with your family, or major decisions you have to make that you’re stalling on. And it probably involves you saying no to something.
Hit the waves head on. The anticipation is more painful than the actual confrontation and the action you need to take.
As a great book is titled “The Obstacle is the Way”.
Go through the waves in your life and end up better on the other side.
Thanks Kelly, I had a good ride.
Go and subscribe to his newsletter and then follow him on Instagram because you need their wisdom in your life.
That's a wrap for October.
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If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or hell - you want to be a guest on the DLake Creates podcast or have your work featured - hit me up! Just reply to this email or shoot a message to talk@dlakecreates.com.
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PEACE!