Quiet Doubt Roars Again

I would be lying if I claimed that this process has been without doubts. Fear. Steady amounts of insecurity. This has been more evident during the bike sessions this year more than any other area. It's not that I don't enjoy riding. In fact I feel more free and energized during rides than I do during the run or swim (my strongest area). No, these feelings arise due to the unknown. I've never biked more than 61 miles in any single ride. Now that I type those words I see the cause of my doubt. I've swam that distance in open water before - not in a race format, but in training with friends - and I've run a marathon. But spending double the amount of time I have done already in the saddle appears daunting when I committed to this journey.

I should focus on the strides I've made during training. I've spent more time on the road already this year than in the past year all together. I've held my fastest average at a sprint distance tri ever at my first race this year. I've completed my longest ride of 61mi this year and wasn't dead at then end. Those are the moments I should keep at the front of my thoughts when looking at the mileage and time on the bike training increase each week, but I find that most times that isn't the case.

I focus on those time where my legs feel like rubber, my speed wasn't what I thought it was, or the wind impacted me during a ride more than I thought it should. I know that this isn't a fast process. It's a day-in, day-out commitment to improve and grow through the training process. It's doing a ride and looking for the good in it no matter how it felt. It's taking what happens on the road, finding the hidden lesson, and using it be a better, stronger cyclist.

As I approach this weekend, my longest ride of the season thus far, I will strive to focus on the positive, enjoy the journey, and always remember to learn something from each training session on the road to Ironman.