the wind gods

sometimes we get lucky.  in sports you get lucky when the other guy has a bad day, an extra call is made in your teams favor or there is just something unexplainable that may have happened.  however, a true competitor knows, that to get 'lucky' is something that rarely happens. i almost guarantee most successful athletes do not even believe in luck.  being successful in your sport comes from hard work.  bottom line.  if you put in the time and the effort there is no need for crazy ideas such as to 'get lucky.'  you know you did the work and you know it will pay off.

i do not believe in 'getting lucky' in endurance sports.  in my mind there is one thing you are racing against and that is yourself.  how fast and efficient YOU can get from point A to point B.  my workout on tuesday was a true test to my theory.  it is actually a workout i never really smile about when its on the schedule- i actually sort of dread it (in a good way):

3X torrey pines

1. warm up

2. hard

3. pain is your friend (word for word here)

ive done torrey repeats a lot and get them quite often on my schedule.  for those that do not know- climbing torrey pines (the outside) can take anywhere from 6-10 min.  my personal best time was just under 7:00 min. - 6:57ish.  and that was last year sometime.  tuesday i was not going out to reach a personal best and in fact already had sore legs.  i really just wanted to get a solid workout and follow coaches orders.

first time up i spun the legs, pushed a little and then backed off again at the top- 7:30.  solid time.  second time i jammed- but it in a much lower gear and went for it.  my HR didnt feel as high as last tuesday when i got pulled up highland valley but i'm sure the lack of heat and 9% grade were factors there.  6:50!  yes- best time!  big smiles on the way down.  i havent seen that time on the clock in what feels like forever.  third time i wanted it to hurt, to know i gave it everything.  lower gear and a lot standing. 6:42!  best time again.

my theory tested here on tuesday because when climbing torrey the winds can have a major effect on the time it takes to get up the hill.  ive had days with a huge head wind on the way up but more times then not there is a tail wind.  so i know my hard is paying off- that is evident in training and racing.  maybe the wind gods were with me on tuesday and i got 'lucky' with a tail wind.  but i am sticking with my theory- hard work pays off.

sunset pictures were from november last year.  the top of torrey pines at the glider port.  its funny where we get our inspiration.  sometimes its the beauty of most simple activity- watching the sunset.

to your health,

C