What If
As far a cycling goes, the winter is a clean slate for me. With the last race of the season over, it's time to start the whole annual sequence over again. I kind of know what I should be doing, but I never do it. I'm a Fun Guy, not a Fitness Guy.
Lately, I've been contemplating a lot of what-ifs. What if I tried a structured training plan for a year. Logged my workouts, with predetermined goals before heading out the door for a ride. I've been doing this long enough to know that working out without any direction is a good way to have fun, but the racing is going to suffer.
I wrestle with this, back and forth. One one hand, I love cycling, and I want to still love it when I'm an old man. It's a great way to stay in shape, and that's something I'm determined to do for the rest of my life.
On the other hand, I love physical competition. It's a big part of my motivation for going out and riding, and staying in shape. It would be nice to earn some respectable results.
When I look at some of my racing peers who are stronger and faster than I am, I sometimes catch myself pondering the difference between him and I, especially as December draws near. I ask myself if he is a better athlete than I am, and I don't believe he is.
No. I'm just playing, and he's competing. He works harder and smarter, and deserves to be where he is.
What if I just tried to do it right? Could I do it? Could I stick with it? Could I keep it from taking over my life? Would it work? I don't know, but maybe I should try it out.
Winter is clean slate. What if I do things differently this time around?