Change

Change is something that presses us out of our comfort zone. It is destiny-filtered, heart grown, faith built. Change is inequitable; not a respecter of persons. Change is for the better or for the worst, depending on where you view it. Change has an adjustment period which varies on the individual. It is uncomfortable, for changing from one state to the next upsets our control over outcomes. Change has a ripping effect on those who won’t let go. Flex is the key. Even a roller coaster ride can be fun if you know when to lean and create new balance within the change. Change is needed when all the props and practices of the past no longer work. Change is not comforted by the statement ‘just hang in there’ but with the statement ‘you can make it’. We don’t grow in retreat, but through endurance. Change isn’t fixed by crying, worrying, or mental treadmilling. Change is won by victors not victims; and that choice is ours.

Change is awkward -- at first. Change is a muscle that develops to abundantly enjoy the dynamics of the life set before us. Change calls own strength beyond anyone of us. Change pushes you to do your personal best. Change draws out those poised for a new way. Change isn’t for chickens. Change does have casualties of those defeated. Change will cause us to churn or to learn. Change changes the speed of time. Time is so slow for the reluctant, and yet it is a whirlwind for those who embrace it. Change is more fun to do than to be done to. Change seeks a better place at the end and is complete when you realize you are different.

Change is measured by its impact on all who are connected to it. Change is charged when you are dissatisfied with where you are. Change doesn’t look for a resting-place; just the next launching point. Change is only a waste to those who don’t learn from it. Change happens in the heart before it is proclaimed by our works. Change chaps those moving slower than the change itself. If you can change before you have to change, there will be less pain. Change can flow or jerk, depending on our resistance to it. Change uses the power invested in the unseen to reinvent what is seen. Change is like driving in a fog – you can’t see very far, but you can make the whole trip that way.

Change is here to stay.


An indoor cycle trainer is the perfect venue for trying new techniques or equipment and to measure performance. Also, it is very useful for specific workouts that might otherwise be risky if performed on an open road for the first time. Examples of some very specific drills are: one leg spinning drills, maximum effort sprint repeats, low RPM high watt hill climbs, and anaerobic threshold (AT) intervals lasting 15 minutes or more. To perform each of these examples safely outdoors requires good bike handling skills and an awareness of one's surroundings.

So it's back to Boise. RCVman will shake it up a touch. Next week. Racing again. The last half-ironman completed was way-back in 2006, Black Diamond. And that was a few weeks after the crushing emotional defeat at Ironman Canada. Figured to at least take the fitness accrued for the whole and use it for the half. Worked OK in retrospect, we took a second, but it hurt some. There is growth in change. Pain means you, at least, are trying.

Next week in Boise we get to test some new theories. One is how the absence of fear affects racing performance. I haven't been in the pool in a LONG time. Even when I was a Masters regular it didn't help much. I could slug out an hour in the pool three times a week and still only manage a mediocre IM swim split. The race day operational tactic was (and is) that the race starts when butt meets saddle. Swim is a warm up. As we proved last year in Sunriver, a emphasis on impeccable form and efficiency returns a nice dividend come the run. 'Cause we know that the bike is where it's at. I will barter a poor swim and a so-so run for a killer bike split ANY RACE OF THE WEEK. So next Saturday in Boise the strategy will be:

Swim: Easy, smooth and efficient. Like a barracuda.
Bike: 80-90% of max RPE. Focused power. Like a mustang.
Run: Keep pushing. DO NOT back off. It's only 13 miles. Like a greyhound.

The truly interesting element about all this is the training methodology. No swimming, 80% of bike training will have been done indoors, and running fitness has come as a result of training others. The base will be tested. As will resolve. Will the absence of fear be enough?

Or, perhaps more poetically, will having fun replace the need for speed? If we swim more like a halibut, ride more like a donkey and run more like a beagle, will the rewards be as sweet? If yes,

THAT would be a change.

RCVman could be a shadow of his former self or run like a toad in Boise next week. We'll find out soon enough. Could be time for a change.