One of those training days

Frequently people say to me, "I would love to just train for triathlons" when talking with me about my status as a professional triathlete. First of all, I don't think there are many pros who 'just' train for triathlon. Reality is, unless you are at the top of the sport and consistently earning a prize money paycheck and/or bonuses from sponsors, you aren't 'just' training.
As much as I would love to tell you that I make big bucks from triathlon, that just isn't the case. Not yet anyway!

Secondly, I would suggest that when people say they would love to be 'just training' they might reconsider if they really knew what they were asking for. Just because a weekend of swimming, cycling and running can be a tremendous amount of fun doesn't mean that training day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year is the best thing on the planet.
Like any pursuit, (I don't like to refer to triathlon as a job!), there is a day-to-day grind aspect of training for triathlons, especially when you are training solo.

Don't get me wrong. I love training, I love competition and I love the sport of triathlon. Why else would I continue to struggle and try to find a way to work with a degenerative disc condition that leaves me nearly unable to get out of bed, put on my pants and shoes or pick up my cat or dog off the floor? I love being fit, the pursuit of being the best one can be and seeing what the human body can do. What I am getting at, is that not every day is all peaches and powerbar gel.

Yesterday was 'one of those days'. If you are an endurance athlete, I don't even need to continue. You know what I mean.

I took an extraordinary amount of time to get myself dressed, fed and ready to get on the bike. The marine layer of fog was particularly thick and the winds gusty and unpredictable. When I first started my ride, I found myself thinking, "ugh, this isn't what I'd hoped for." I reminded myself the weather was part of the gig and like thousands of other workouts, you sometimes just have to get it done. So I did. Or should I say, so I tried.

I got about 20 miles into my ride and unexpectedly hit a very long stretch of road that was under construction. The road had been stripped down to the grooves leaving the shoulder unridable and downright dangerous. We are talking several inches of loose sand and gravel.
The condition of the shoulder forced me to ride a bit further into the lane that I would have liked. I am a very aware, skilled and courteous cyclist, but when conditions are dangerous you have to protect yourself and ride accordingly. I had a few folks fully lay on their horns right when they were even with me. Nice. The sound of the Escalade horn nearly caused my heart to seize. Having a heart attack on the bike, now there is a way to go.

Minutes later I felt the sinking feeling that comes with a rear flat tire. Part of the job. Part of training. I tried to get over as far as possible and went to work fixing the tire. Now, with the tell tale dirty hands, clothing and cold shill from stopping I got back on the bike and headed onward.

Just as I was starting to get back in the groove, a mere five or so minutes later, I felt that ominous sinking feeling again. Another flat tire. The road was so rough, riddled with pot holes and sharp edges, I guess my tires just weren't holding up. I stopped and sat on a man hole atop of pile of dirt and got to work.

A few spent C02 cartridges and an arm workout with the mini-pump later, I was set to go. I was riding my Blue T14 time trial bike and had two hand positions, on the aerobars or on the bull horns. Well, no sooner had I got back in the saddle did I realize that my brake lever (on the bull horn) was completely loose. The brake still worked, but every groove and bump in the tore-up road was giggling my brake lever into circles. Now, I had a potentially dangerous situation with a loose part. I was riding an a wickedly rough downhill slope that without braking could see me hit some pretty high speeds with little effort. Speed, very rough road and squirrely brake levers are not an optimal situation.

I stopped again and pulled out a wrench to see if I could tighten the pesky brake lever. No dice. I couldn't fix it. I made the best of it and carefully made my way back home albeit on a bit of a shortened ride.

My ride experience is not atypical of any other triathletes. Everyone gets flat tires and has mechanical issues. We all have 'one of those training days.' It is those days that do make training a grind on some days. Still, without those days you don't have the glorious, makes-it-all-worth-it training days either. So, with that I am off to get on my bike and start a new day.
I bet this one will be a lot better. Today I am riding my Blue R6 while my T14 sees the bike doctor.