Keep it simple... stupid

I realize I'm in a state of preparation. I am preparing myself mentally for the road ahead. These days it's like I'm waking up from a deep sleep - recovery - and trying to figure out what to do with those precious moments between the haze of being awake, and the time I start work. In Chi, they teach you to spend those moments getting centered and developing "body awareness", not thinking about work, or your stresses, or e-mail etc. but simply getting "in tune", and letting your body slowly adapt to changing from the dream state to the awake-state.

In a way, it's the same as looking at the period from full recovery to the beginning of training. Now is an opportunity to look back at last year and look at what went right, but also at some of the things that were stressing me out, taking away from my priorities and my life, and affecting my training and performance.

And, in doing so, making a list of the areas that I felt held me back in training last year. The overriding conclusions I have come to are my over-commitment to activities and events that caused me to have to sacrifice worthwhile endevours a few too many times. Also, I travelled a lot during the year, for volunteer work but also for vacation. Now, without taking away the merits of both, I feel that the constant weekend's away were definitely not working to build a solid training routine. It seems that taking one step forward let to 1 1/2 steps backwards on some months. Getting in a long ride and run, and following that up with 2 weekends of travel, did not help me build on my success for example.

So, in doing this, I have thought of some ways I could use last year's experience as a sign of what I should consider this year. My first priority is to find ways to reduce stress in my life and things that will "stress" the effectiveness of my training:

1) Less travel - I do have some commitments this year. I have a wedding and a convention to attend next summer. But, I can limit my travel to very little beyond that. If I can spend the winter and early part of spring focused on base building then I'll benefit greatly.

2) Less commitment to other organizations - I have already made some of these decisions. I have lessened my role with my fraternal volunteering and have kept it local (thus reducing travel). I plan on being involved in things, like my tri-club, Ironcops and running clubs, but I won't commit myself to big projects and goals unless they match up with what I want to get.

3) Improved nutrition and sleeping - I am realizing more and more that I can gain a lot more perspective and improved energy and vitality through my eating. So, I'm going to be giving up fast food completely (amazed that I still am a habitual user), like burgers and such. But, also, adding fish oils and more vegetables and fruits to my diet.

4) Less "cluttered" living - reducing television, especially late night tv. Also scheduling internet and e-mail time more effectively and using them as tools rather than as filler for life.

I think that's a good start. I've grown less and less attached to the need for material growth. I do have an overall priority in this regard and that is to stay out of debt completely for the year.

Spending time each day reconnecting with nature would be something I would also like to focus on. I'd like to look into the possibility of a short 30 minute jog or walk in the morning before work in the trails or something, just to get my heart moving and reconnecting with nature.

All this is not just for Ironman, but for making life more meaningful. I've started to get away from the need to fit in "more things" for myself, but to become content and masterful at the things I do already, and enjoy.

Some things I want to receive in my life on a daily basis: peace, physical power, tranquility, love, and humility. I have a new book called the "Law of Attraction" and I'm going through that right now to determine a course of action to bring those things to my life more.

As I think about this more and more, depression was a major aspect of the first few months of the new year. With all these commitments I had, I was still finding myself in a situation of feeling like my head was barely above water sometimes. There were some key factors in this, the first being that I really felt lost, and unsure if the path I was on was leading anywhere, or even if I was on a path.

Over all this, I think keeping some basic, simple premises in mind would serve me some good. Keeping myself in a feeling of having a bigger purpose, not just a day-to-day, will help. But how do I find that and stay balanced - balanced meaning without having to "be" something to someone in order to feel like I have a purpose?

Good question...

Some say balance is living our life in harmony and peace... Seems simple enough as a starting point for me.