By design

It's by design: More analysis from Sports Illustrated on why we (meaning humans, specifically Kenyans and not me) are getting faster in the long one, the 26.2, Mary. Sadly, one of the casual agents is our old nemesis, cold, hard cash. As in, go long, go fast and then go to the bank. The Kenyans and Ethiopians are turning this to an art form, a dash for cash, and why not? I do the same.

Somebody wants to trade me dollars for services, they have my attention. The better I am, the greater my value. The greater my value the more I can command. The more I can command the more time I have to train. More training time equals faster racing times. A beautiful circle. I was reminded of the irony this morning in our virgin session at Avalara, where we took it all back to Spinning 101. Talked about and worked on definition of terms, equipment use, technique, fit, form, function, breathing, hydration and exercise physiology before we even hit the first hill. We explored the big five: Speed, leg strength, core strength, balance and explosive power, and then it was time to stretch and cool down. Sixty minutes gone by like a steam locomotive pouring' down the track. All at a very low heart rate. The first time I have 'spun easy' in maybe five years. And ya know what? It was nice. The antithesis of our normal, and now routine, high-intensity power hours. Slow. Still focused and still relevant, a purpose served.

I will never be able to match the Kenyans over 26.2. I will never take home a $30,000 purse, get a call from the Nike sponsorship coordinator or rebuild my hometown's sewage treatment facility with my race earnings, but I can continue to push my fitness, train smarter and pay my taxes…

…going slow.

By design.

Pic is at the Kona turn at Hawi, a little over half way on the bike. Get done with THAT and your get to run a Mary. Train hard, race easy. Sometimes the hard part means volume. Slower. By design.