My brother, Mark, emailed me last week asking if I would consider joining his relay team in the 24HR Velo Charity Event at Mont Tremblant, Quebec on September 11th & 12th - http://www.24hvelotremblant.com/home.html. My immediate reply was “Thanks for the offer but too bad I can’t come. I’ll be racing Ironman Muskoka 70.3 on Sept 12th.” Thinking my race is much more important since it has been on my schedule for the entire year and my travel and accommodations are booked, it took Mark no time to reply with “Why don’t you skip Muskoka?” Our friend, Steve Lafave, was copied on these emails and chimed in with “We’ll even let you ride an extra 90 km’s for the heck of it!” My heart sunk. Don’t they get it? Don’t they understand how important this race is to me? Don’t they comprehend all the time and training it takes to be at one’s best on September 12th in Muskoka? Obviously not if they think I can just “skip” it. Geez. A few more emails were exchanged between the three of us - how much fun it would be for Chrissy to be the Ringer and how irrelevant Muskoka is in the grand scheme of this new option and how could I pass up riding for 24hours. After ten long deep calming breathes, I finalized our string of emails with “Let me look at the calendar…” Feeling somewhat descended upon and under valued off I went to check the calendar of Ironman 70.3 events that might make sense both from a geographic and timing standpoint.
Decisions, options, opportunities (whatever you want to call them) like these always perplex me. Maybe it is because I am a planner and like to know well ahead of time what, where and when something will happen. Maybe it is because I like the idea of spontaneity but actually need time to adjust to a significant change of plans, making the outcome not terribly spontaneous at all. The Mont Tremblant event, albeit for a wonderful cause (sick and underprivileged children), would be an impulsive decision and require significant planning to coordinate all the new logistics. Was I up for it? If I jump ahead a month, a year, a decade, would I regret not having participated? Or should I stick to my initial plan and travel to Muskoka, all of which the logistics are set in place with the organizers and travel agents? Or does it matter which path to trod along? Muskoka or Tremblant? I realize this may sound trite but I am getting to my point.
The harsh reality and honest confession as to why the 24hr Velo event felt like a hiccup in my perfectly laid plans is because I believe this wonderful sport of ours that we cherish and couldn’t imagine living without sometimes blinds us to the world beyond the pool, our aero-bars and our runners. The special interval workouts we do, the articles we read, the athletes we admire, the data we collect, the gear we buy, the food we consume, the early nights we protect, the thoughts of being faster, lighter, fitter, sleeker, or the regimented schedules we follow day-in-day-out all for the illusive goal of crossing a finish line on a specific day in a specific place. On the odd and unusual occasion, I am blinded (says I in jest). No one would protest to how admirable such a past time is. It drives us to be purposeful human beings with a vision and goals all in the name of self-improvement and self-betterment. Soak it up. Life couldn’t get any better.
Or could it? Or could it be enhanced?
In walks an opportunity to derail (soon edited to re-rail) the perfectly laid plans and jump into something only mildly related to the core sport of triathlon. The opportunity is FUN, SOCIAL and ENERGIZED by GREAT PEOPLE and a GREAT CAUSE in a GREAT PLACE. Nothing could inject more energy into the skip in every step. The ripple effect is infectious and carries itself into our every day existence. It might even inject newfound oomph into ones swim stroke, cadence or stride. And if it doesn’t, it really does not matter. Such clarity in decision is a beautiful thing.
Needless to say, my flight has been rerouted to Montreal; I have withdrawn from Muskoka and reworked what was a not so perfect plan after all and my little world feels more vast than before. Within ten minutes of the Team Captain informing everyone I was a new member to the relay team, we had emails a flying across the country with encouragement and spirit.
Although our relay team is very recreational, we really do only play to win. While my aero helmet will be left at home, my lightweight S-Works Specialized Road Bike will be greased and tuned for a smooth and speedy spin on the 11th & 12th. Stay tuned for the post-24 HOUR Velo Report.
And in keeping with my training and racing seasonal plan (some things never change), I did find a great new race to enter just one-week later in Syracuse 70.3 (September 17th). Syracuse is an easy drive south of Tremblant and ideal timing. Isn’t it funny how it just works out every time.
Christine
Decisions, options, opportunities (whatever you want to call them) like these always perplex me. Maybe it is because I am a planner and like to know well ahead of time what, where and when something will happen. Maybe it is because I like the idea of spontaneity but actually need time to adjust to a significant change of plans, making the outcome not terribly spontaneous at all. The Mont Tremblant event, albeit for a wonderful cause (sick and underprivileged children), would be an impulsive decision and require significant planning to coordinate all the new logistics. Was I up for it? If I jump ahead a month, a year, a decade, would I regret not having participated? Or should I stick to my initial plan and travel to Muskoka, all of which the logistics are set in place with the organizers and travel agents? Or does it matter which path to trod along? Muskoka or Tremblant? I realize this may sound trite but I am getting to my point.
The harsh reality and honest confession as to why the 24hr Velo event felt like a hiccup in my perfectly laid plans is because I believe this wonderful sport of ours that we cherish and couldn’t imagine living without sometimes blinds us to the world beyond the pool, our aero-bars and our runners. The special interval workouts we do, the articles we read, the athletes we admire, the data we collect, the gear we buy, the food we consume, the early nights we protect, the thoughts of being faster, lighter, fitter, sleeker, or the regimented schedules we follow day-in-day-out all for the illusive goal of crossing a finish line on a specific day in a specific place. On the odd and unusual occasion, I am blinded (says I in jest). No one would protest to how admirable such a past time is. It drives us to be purposeful human beings with a vision and goals all in the name of self-improvement and self-betterment. Soak it up. Life couldn’t get any better.
Or could it? Or could it be enhanced?
In walks an opportunity to derail (soon edited to re-rail) the perfectly laid plans and jump into something only mildly related to the core sport of triathlon. The opportunity is FUN, SOCIAL and ENERGIZED by GREAT PEOPLE and a GREAT CAUSE in a GREAT PLACE. Nothing could inject more energy into the skip in every step. The ripple effect is infectious and carries itself into our every day existence. It might even inject newfound oomph into ones swim stroke, cadence or stride. And if it doesn’t, it really does not matter. Such clarity in decision is a beautiful thing.
Needless to say, my flight has been rerouted to Montreal; I have withdrawn from Muskoka and reworked what was a not so perfect plan after all and my little world feels more vast than before. Within ten minutes of the Team Captain informing everyone I was a new member to the relay team, we had emails a flying across the country with encouragement and spirit.
Although our relay team is very recreational, we really do only play to win. While my aero helmet will be left at home, my lightweight S-Works Specialized Road Bike will be greased and tuned for a smooth and speedy spin on the 11th & 12th. Stay tuned for the post-24 HOUR Velo Report.
And in keeping with my training and racing seasonal plan (some things never change), I did find a great new race to enter just one-week later in Syracuse 70.3 (September 17th). Syracuse is an easy drive south of Tremblant and ideal timing. Isn’t it funny how it just works out every time.
Christine
No comments:
Post a Comment