The Tri Town Times: 8/14/23

• Posted on 14 August 2023
• By Antonio Gonzalez
• Posted in the tri town times
• 0

This week: NICA season off to a strong start; the value of very long term thinking.
Image: Travis Wood on his way to the win at the Burley Spudman Triathlon.

Hi all,

Here is your weekly Tri Town Times newsletter:

Weekend highlights:

- Chloé Dygert won her second UCI Time Trial World Championship jersey last week. Dygert, who lived and trained for a period of time in Boise, had not competed in a World Championship event since 2020, in which she suffered a horrific crash that has taken years to recover from. She came into this "Super Worlds" Championship event in great form, winning the Individual Pursuit gold medal as well.

- Keegan Swenson won the Leadville 100 MTB race, setting a new course record in process.

Events I'm looking forward to:

Idaho NICA high school mountain bike racers start their race season this weekend at Brundage mountain in McCall. '23 race calendar here.

Training thoughts:

I received some great feedback from last week's thoughts on running every day. A friend shared that he and his wife have run every day for more than 1,800 days. An impressive streak which got me thinking about the value of thinking very long term.

The famous Italian clothier Brunello Cucinelli once said his business has a 3 year, 30 year, and 300 year plan. I have heard that some business' have 20 year plans, but never anything close to 300 years!

The value of thinking very long term is that you begin to see the world and the challenges you face differently. Here are just a few ways that come to mind:

- Small fluctuations in daily performance no longer matter. You roll with the punches.

- You focus on small actions repeated over time. These actions compound and add up to very large changes.

- You do not ask, "What can I do on my best day?" Instead you ask, "What can I do even on my worst day?"

- You pace yourself.

- You avoid careless risks that can take you out of the game. You're not playing the short game, and so you're not interested in the quick reward.

- The word "hack" and "short cut" piss you off.

As athletes it's easy to focus on the next race or workout and lose sight of the big picture. Have you ever comprised your health or flirted with injury just to keep up with a workout buddy? Next time you feel that temptation, think about your personal athletic career on a 30 year time frame, and see how it changes your behavior in the moment.

Quote that struck a chord: 

"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day." - Jim Rohn

If you have a moment to spare:

I watched the Mark Cavendish documentary Never Enough last week. It is an intimate and often painful to look into the life of one of cycling's greatest athletes. Known as a true battler on the bike, the film shows the focus and aggression that made Cavendish was famous was only hiding the larger and more serious battle he was waging with himself off the bike. I highly recommend watching it.

Train smart and have a great week!

Antonio Gonzalez

Tri Town Bicycles

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