20 June 2012

IMCdA: The Soundtrack

I believe in the radio gods. Which is funny because my car does not have a radio ('twas stolen, and I’m too lazy to replace). But perhaps the equivalent thing in my life is the shuffle gods, whom I trust to pull up the most applicable song for the current situation. Over past three seasons, these 'deities' have masterfully delivered inspiring songs right before my big races that I keep in my head during the event. In 2010, it was Ragged Wood before the Lake St. Louis Olympic Tri. In 2011, it was Pumped Up Kicks before ITU Long Course Worlds. And now, the shuffle gods have pulled up Some Nights straight from the depths of the interwebz and into my earbuds. And I can’t get enough. In the last 5 days, I’ve listened to fun. at least 20 times (wait, let me check iTunes…yep….32) and I plan on keeping it on repeat right up until I have to turn my morning clothes bag in on Sunday. And even once the iPod is gone, the song will continue to circulate in my mind and I’ll probably even sing a little bit out loud on course. Competitors, beware!!
Singing??
I always love it when athletes share their playlists so here are a few other songs that have got me through this Ironman build:
For The Beauty Of The Earth – traditional, but I like the Steve & Danny Thompson version, even though it's a little Enya-ish...it's got good tempo.
In The Mood – traditional, but I like the Glenn Miller Orchestra version
But on a more serious note, Some Nights is the perfect song for me right now. This ironman build has allowed me to get a good look at what long-course triathlon training is all about. It's lonely. It's hard. I never really wish[ed] that it all would end, but I could use [training with] some friends for a change. And now that I've almost reached the end of the road, I'm still not sure what I stand for...Triathlon? Adventure racing? Can I do both? Do I want to do both? Do I want to just sit on the couch? I've put a lot of time and effort into preparing for my first Ironman, but I still have no idea how things will go competitively on race day. Will I be at the pointy end of the field, maybe in my age group? Or not even close? And if I'm not close, will I be satisfied?
IM training in a photo: Easy St...STREET NOT THRU!
One thing that sticks out most in my head for this training cycle is the amount of times I've said "no". No to mountain bike rides. No to adventure races (even subbing on really fast teams). No to sleeping in. There hasn't been much balance and I'm not sure I like that. On one hand, I take a lot of pride in executing my training day in, day out. On the other hand, would IMCdA be ruined for me if I hopped on my mountain bike for a dirt crit? That's a slippery slope to start down, and for my first IM I preferred not to stray off the path of 100% dedication. 
Last long ride...view of the cockpit.
But the balance will be struck in the month of July, and possibly the rest of the summer. There is some dirt in my future, hallelujah! I have a few events picked out even, and I'm super stoked to do some non-triathloning.   Don't get me wrong, I still love me some swimbikerun, I just need to swing the training pendulum of my life back towards to off-road side of things for a bit. And I'm still not sure where that pendulum will eventually land, it's all a part of the process, figuring these things out.
Tater bikes go in a tater trailer. Loading up on Monday night.
So I've raised a lot of questions that you probably weren't expecting. Honestly, they've been brewing in my head for weeks but I wasn't really expecting to write about them here...just...after the playlist, this post seem sort of short so I kept rambling. Sorry if it's too mental, at least you got a good list of songs out of it!
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2 comments:

  1. Good read while in te middle of Wyoming!

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  2. "some nights" is my ring tone, I can't get enough of that!

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