Happy Wednesday gang! How the heck are ya?! I really expected to get going much earlier, but that pesky sleep-cycle wouldn't cooperate! I got in a nice 20-mile bike ride last night and like so many of my rides, it was actually more about emotional, mental and even spiritual conditioning than it was about physical fitness. My fitness plan called for weight-training, but I knew I needed to be on the bike and sort out all of the churning going on inside...
After dropping over 90 pounds last year and competing in 2 time-trial races, I was really excited about the promise that 2014 held. I knew that the erratic nature of my medical stuff could derail even modest and realistic goals, but it seemed I had the upper hand enough to at least not lose ground. But here I am, quite a few pounds heavier than I was at this time last year. I had hoped to participate in at least a couple of time-trial races, but I've hardly even ridden my time-trial bike this year. The illness has been much more profound this year and I don't even know why...
So as I cruised along the familiar streets of my Mapleview course last night, I thought about what kind of goals I wanted to set for 2015. How disappointing it felt that none of my goals for 2014 worked out, especially since I had every bit of the same level of determination and persistence that fueled my big comeback of 2013. Then that little voice of "reason" started chiming in - insisting that THIS time I should listen!
"Jim, you need to set more "realistic" goals! Instead of shooting for such improbable things like racing in a time-trial, just try to get on the bike when you can. With an illness like yours, you can't be stressing over something that you're unlikely to achieve! Be reasonable, will ya?!"
Well, that voice of reason has a good point, however, that same logic is a dream killer. I'd rather learn how to cope with disappointment than to seek out a comfortable spot in the "safe" world of dead dreams. I'd rather be a rebel than be reasonable. I'd rather believe that my dreams are inspired by God and not constrained by the so-called wisdom of the world...
So, near the end of my ride I decided to frame things in a way that makes a statement - to myself. I decided that for 2015, one of my biggest goals - again - will be to race in at least two time-trials. And even though that seems far away and I still have to drop at least 20 pounds before I can even ride my time-trial bike, I decided that tonight's ride would be defined as my first training session for the 2015 Time-Trial season! How about that for elevating a ride of seemingly small importance to one that is the start of something big! Holy positive thinking, Jim!
I hope my fitness friends - or anyone - can benefit from my post. So often, I hear the advice to set realistic goals, but the catch with that is that if you're goals are constrained by a fear of disappointment rather than driven by the passion of taking on a challenge that excites you, your realistic goal might not be so realistic after all. The way I see it, is that you have to a goal that will require you to dig deep and tap into the best of who you are. Keep in mind, that even if a goal is improbable, that doesn't mean it isn't realistic. And when anyone suggests that you're just setting yourself up for disappointment, remind them that actually you're just trying to give yourself the best chance of success... :)