Stepping up and getting over.

The other day, I was able to catch up with a training compadre from my cycling studio.  Neither of us had trained much over the past week, so we had a little bit to catch up on.

My reason for not training was more work-related.  This other rider's reason was just the need to take a break.  Been there, done that.  Many, many times.  And while athletes probably have these conversations hundreds of times in the course of their lives, this encounter was particularly blog-worthy because of  the candidness.

This particular athlete is intense.  Sometimes intensity makes it hard to communicate and "shoot the breeze", but I definitely admired this person's focus.  Sometimes intensity in training blurs the finish line we want to cross.  And hey, I've been in that saddle -  I used to get frustrated when people weren't as intense as I was in training (Army training is my most vivid example).  I always looked for the perfect training plan, and the perfect answer.  

Then I realized that racing and competition really is just a big mind-f***, and that non-perfect training IS perfect training.

But what this rider confessed truly blew me away.  In so many words, this rider said "I was over-training, and I got kind of an ego". 

While this is obviously abbreviated, they DID say "I got kind of an ego."

WOW.  What do you say to that?

• "Yep, you sure as hell did!"?  That's non therapeutic communication.
• "Yeah, we all get that way." Well, that's not entirely true, either.
• "And what did we learn?!"  That's just being condescending.

After talking with someone else, my friend said they realized that it's cool to celebrate accomplishments, but do so without being a jerk about it - that the people who are the best at what they do are often the ones you wouldn't expect to be the best.  There is no doubt that my friend is a talented individual with a lot of potential.  And it really takes an adult to take that kind of advice from someone, take it to heart, and apply it.  I admire this fellow rider even more, not because of talent but because of them being human.

Setting goals and achieving - and surpassing them - is one thing that sets humans apart from other species.  To train (athletic, academic, etc.) takes great focus and humility, because it's impossible to be on our "A" game each and every freaking day.  Our ability to critically think, rework a plan, and try again is truly amazing, and something we may not always appreciate.  The alternative is to just go through life like a stray plastic grocery bag, just floating on the whim of something else, relinquishing control.

We can resign ourselves to "que sera, sera" (or, as a joke for those who have served in the Middle East, "Insha' Allah"), or we can take the bull by the horns and do something we want.

Time and time again, as athletes, we will be humbled.  We make strides, have setbacks that are physical or mental, and have to dust ourselves off and go again.  I've had my own setbacks and this person will, too.  But things worth having aren't always easy to gain, even if those setbacks are ones we create ourselves.  It's how we grow as individuals, and how our heart and passion for our sport grows too.