Well, I’m bored.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that there is a global crisis that is negatively affecting a tremendous amount of people! Let me explain. There are two things you should know about me:
1. I try to stay in a positive mood. If I let myself spiral, I can find myself deep in the "doom rabbit hole" pretty quickly.
2. As an individual with no parents or grandparents, and only 3 close relatives (an uncle and two cousins), worrying about family members doesn't occupy a significant amount of time, energy, or mental space.
After writing that last sentence, it makes me sound like a monster. I do care deeply about people! I am actually very concerned for the health and well-being of my wife and athletes, for example. Also, I believe that we should all be generally nice to each other.
Back to being bored. Usually, when I am bored I watch sports. I love all kinds of sports... but, there are no sports right now. So, my TV time is "philled" with Dr Phil (HAHAHHA).
Say what you want about his show, there is one concept that really hits home for me during this Duck and Cover / Sit and Stay / Shelter in Place / Quarantine time: the difference between the "Irresistible Urge" and the "Urge Irresisted.” They sound similar, but there's a big difference, especially when it comes to one’s approach to training.
First off, what does that nearly symmetric saying mean? The "Irresistible Urge" is something that an individual cannot control, it is a reflex. The urge for me to fall down and cry after getting kicking in the crotch, or the urge for me to cry when Wall-E runs out of power when saving the plant, are examples of the "Irresistible Urge."
On the other hand, the "Urge Irresited" is a choice. The urge to skip a workout because I am tired and who even knows when the next race will take place, is the "Urge Irresisted."
These are crazy times. Even if you are like me and have not been directly negatively affected by the COVID-19, we've all been impacted.
Right now, the endurance sports world has been turned on its side. Races have been postponed, canceled, or rescheduled. Race directors, and even governing bodies, are scrambling to see if (and how) they will exist in the future.
It's easy to give into that urge to not do workouts and not train. DO NOT GIVE IN.
Racing will come back. Personally, it is not even the fact the racing will come that helps me get over the urge to not train. Having this free time helped me remember why I do full-distance triathlon. I've reconnected with my "why."
Over the years of coaching, I have forgotten that I genuinely enjoy the grind training for an event. Having some time to get back to my roots has been enjoyable, a bit of a silver lining on the COVID-19 cloud.
At the end of the day, we all need to remember that not wanting to train is a choice. Doing the right thing is a choice. Being committed to your long-term goals and dreams, even if there's not a race on the horizon is a choice.
By the way, I watch the 2008 Stanley Cup finals because the Red Wings won. The 2009 finals are terrible and shouldn't ever be aired.
