Showtime!

It must have been the mixture. Three Honey-Stingers, a swig of EFS, and a small bowl of Cheerios. Normally I avoid the latter like I avoid Big Macs, but it was the last package standing on the cupboard shelf, and I needed something. I was a touch dehydrated from last night's fireside mirco-brew and gourmet-peanut long summer ride planning extravaganza, and needed the water, electrolytes, vitamins, and yes, sugar to support the high-octane rating of my morning cuppa joe. Joes actually, as in several. So there I sat, once again saddled up and ready to lead the 0845 class as substitute. I figured I could make it ONE MORE HOUR before my 1100 massage, a serendipitous luxury that came to me as a referral perk and timely as my hamstrings and periformis have been teetering on snapage for at least a week. The cause resulting from 23 consecutive days without a break. It took masseuse Kat less than twenty seconds to blurt a laughing, "What have you been doing?" response to her initial attempt at muscle release.

Usual stuff, just more of it, I guess.

Which leads us to the interval, and to the importance of rest and recovery, and to the exercise physiology adage of change. And to my own interpretation of load, over-load and volume. Let us be clear: I am training for an Ironman. In that event I need to be faster than EVERYONE else in my age standard. I need to win in order to qualify for Kona. That is the goal. The strategy is to work harder in the off season (now) with additional speed, strength, stamina, endurance and confidence as rewards. Hence the 23 days and hence the need for both a rest day and a massage. If you like, it was a three week test. I passed. Hurray! There begins another tomorrow. Where I will take the lessons learned to the next class. It won't get any easier, the questions get harder, the field narrows. Not everybody who goes to school graduates. Not everybody who stays gets a degree. Not everybody that has a degree finds meaningful work.

Let us make one more thing perfectly clear. This is not a dress rehearsal. Practice it may be, but the journey, the road, the efforts, the day-to-day focus on the process and the practice is the bigger goal. If I can maintain the vision for eight months whatever happens up in Canada on 8.26.12 will be fine. That day is the show. All the days prior are in preparation. If I fail in preparation, if my study habits are poor, I will surely fall short of graduation. Further, if I want to race against the best in the world in Kona I must prove myself worthy in Penticton. And that means more of the usual stuff.

Making today's work more important than tomorrow's. THIS IS IT. This will become a part of that, but today, now, the most important thing I can do is to honor the process, keep pushing, hone my awareness and work hard. Showtime!

Every day, every drill, every thrill. Everything. The relentless pursuit of better. This is it. Are you ready for your close-up?

Pic: Roy as Ray in ATJ.