Its no secret that training has taken a bit of a hit with the winter weather upon us. With the decrease in training, I saw a corresponding decrease in performance and a slight increase in weight. It was a bit frustrating to run a Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving, only to find out that I've taken a few step backwards in my fitness. I did not hesitate to complain about my underperformance to my coach only to hear back, "This is supposed to be fun, remember." How easily I forget.
Then December 5, 2008 came and it was a day of mourning for me. It was 2 years ago from that day that my mother passed away. I've talked a lot about this, but it helped me come back down to earth and look why I got into triathlon in the first place. I was on a mission, not only for myself, but to continue my mother's legacy of giving back to others and inspiring others. How easily I forget.
Then Mary Lou decides she wants to try running. I'm excited for her because it reminded me of how excited I was after workouts during my first year of training. It only took her a week to really push herself to set a new personal record on the treadmill, and finally decide to sign up for a race. She said, "Thanks for inspiring me," but in reality, she just inspired me, and reminded me that we all started somewhere and look how far we can go. How easily I forget.
Then Manny Pacquiao goes on to beat De La Hoya after being established as the underdog (I should know since I won 10 to 7 odds by betting on a Pacquiao win). In convincing fashion, he made De La Hoya lay down and give up after the 8th round. I was at a bar watching the people cheering for him and it was amazing how many people were counting on him to win. He basically had the weight of a nation counting on him to succeed. Despite all this pressure, I remember Pacquiao saying after the fight, "I just have to think about my next fight." He reminded me that the greatest accomplishments spawn out of the simplest thoughts. Like he's thinking about his next fight, I should be thinking about just putting one foot in front of the other. Keep it simple stupid. How easily I forget.
Then I went out and saw a beautiful thing and made it my own. After dreaming of a new bike, I finally got my riding machine:
While it was sort of an impulse buy, it felt good to finally get a new bike. She's the beauty in my life, and we will ride to many victories. I'm sure of it. Please say hi if you're quick enough to catch us. By the way, her name is Cadence and she was a little pricey. After paying for the bike with my Amex, I was quickly reminded of how much I've invested in triathlon (both monetarily and physically). How easily I forget.
Then I recently started a new book called Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Tipping Point and Blink.
The book is basically a study of how successful people rose to the top. His point is that these successful people (who are essentially "outliers" in our society) could not simply get to where they are because of their own individual merit. Yes, they may have been talented, but there is a lot more to it than that (e.g. being in the right place at the right time, living conditions, when you were born, etc.). An interesting common denominator that one chapter highlights is the rule of 10,000. If you add up all the time a successful person such as Mozart, Bill Gates, or even the Beatles spent on their craft from the first moment they were introduced to it to their first real breakthrough success, the total number of hours is at least 10,000 hours. In short, I was reminded that time and hard work pay off. How easily I forget.
Then my coach goes out and races Ironman Western Australia. He races and sets a new Philippine record after finally breaking the 10 hour barrier. I thought about how awesome it would be to be to finish an Ironman. Imagine suffering through 2.4 miles of open water swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and finishing with a 26.2 mile marathon, all for a few seconds of exhilaration at the finish line. That finish line has alluded me ever since I watched the Ironman World Championship on TV as a kid, and especially after I finally took up triathlon in 2006. I was reminded of that amazing feeling at the finish line after watching these two stories from the 2006 Ironman World Championship. I don't have it so hard after all. How easily I forget.
Jon Blais
Team Hoyt
When motivation takes a hit, I need these little things in life to kick me in the ass. So far, my training consistency has come back little by little as a result of these recent event, but please, if I easily forget again, make sure you kick me in the ass.
Thanks for reading.
