It seems like just yesterday when I started training this year's batch of youth triathletes. Yet I know it wasn't yesterday, because their race is less than two weeks away. Where did the summer go?
Last year at this time I was getting ready for Ironman Louisville. Weekends were dedicated to long workouts. Five thousand yard swims, 100 mile bikes, and 15 mile runs were all the rage. Many Saturdays found me up at 5 a.m. and out the door, with Mrs. Pol well aware it would be dinner time before I returned. If I returned on my own at all. At least once she had to load kids into the car and pick me up along the bike route.
In the midst of all that training, I was working with members of the youth tri club getting them ready for their first race. Regardless of my own workouts, I was with them twice a week for some kind of training.
And somehow, this year seems busier. It isn't, and I know that. Yet I'm unable to explain why it seems so much more frantic. Was it the week spent volunteering at camp? Is it the laid back approach to training and racing? Is it the lack of a clear and daunting goal? (Not that a 50 mile running race isn't daunting). So much about this summer is the same as last year, minus an impending Ironman. There is no way this year should FEEL more hectic.
Mrs. Pol asked that there be no Ironman on the agenda, this year. And I have no intention of signing up for one for the 2009 season. One thing is certain, though. If next summer feels "lost" like this summer has, I will be finding a full distance race for 2010. Whether it's IM MOO, Beach 2 Battleship, or another, I'll find something to focus the efforts.
Of course, that's if I don't go off the deep end and decide to do a 100 mile running race. I've done whackier things...
RSS Feed