The end of July

July is ending, and with it we will get a new month or workouts on our training schedule very, very soon. It has been a good month, but looking back, I have to a bit honest and say that I, (A), have been worked over pretty well by our July workload. My body absorbed it pretty well, but my mind was no always "with the program." And the more I get into the sport of Ironman (quite different than the sport of triathlon, by the way) the more I value the mental battles of the training and race and what they, as a part of sport, can teach me about life and me as a person.

I survived this July (and our biggest block of training for IM Canada), but I'm not sure I thrived. Then again, I'm a bit numb at this point and may need a week or two, or even into our taper in a few weeks, before I can definitively say if I won the mental battles this month or not.

A big part of my reflection today is in part due to last weekend, when we took a little "vacation" from Ironman training and went to RockyGrass instead. I've already given a list of highlights from RockyGrass, but unless you where there, it is a pretty meaningless list. What is more insightful are some of my reactions to the situations we encountered.

We were out of our own, comfortable little "Iron-world" interacting with people of all shapes, sizes, and ages. In the morning we got to sleep in. As a result, it was really, really hot by the time we got outside everyday. Since it was so hot, nearly everyone was in the creek to cool off. And very little clothing was worn, mostly it was swimsuits and the odd t-shirt here and there when sitting in the sun.

And I was hit, time and again, with the realization that people do come in all shapes and sizes. Especially the kids. At that age, they do not care what they look like, they just want to play and have fun. They were running around, splashing in the creek, building pits, rivers, and castles in the "beach" area, and getting their faces (legs were popular, too for some reason) painted over int he family tent. As an adult observer, I couldn't help but notice the super skinny kids and the chubby kids. There was a smattering of both, and many who fell in between the two extremes, but it did seem to me that the number who could be considered "obese" by medical standards was higher than I would have expected.

It was also odd to really do something that was not swim-bike-run related. And to do it all day long. It was tiring! We had fully intended to get in a little training each morning before hitting the venues, but soon realized that was either not possible or would severely compromise our RockyGrass experience. This was especially evident Sunday morning when we were scrambling to get there for the opening show, the Gospel set, and had to either HTFU and get out the door to Lyons, or get a workout in. On Saturday, we did get a nice, glorious run in. In fact, it was one of my best-feeling runs all month. But on the "schedule" had been a 2-hour mountain bike and a run. Forgetting both E's and my mountain biking shoes at home caused us to have to improvise (with a good final result) and for some reason that bothered me at first. Luckily, like I already said, it was a really, really god run, followed by a really, really good dip in the creek, so I soon forgot about my "hardship" of having no bike to report on my training log.

Which brings me to my next point. Come Monday morning, during my blog-check up, I soon became aware of how many people had very good training weekends last week. And we saw that firsthand, too, with all the folks out riding and running on the Boulder County roads and trails as we drove up to Lyons each morning. It was really weird to drive one these roads that we usually train on. Especially since we drive so little to go anywhere on a normal weekend. I would get a little weepy that I wasn't one of the masses......

But I had an AWESOME time at RockyGrass. One that I wouldn't trade for anything. I got to spend gobs of time outside, in a beautiful place, next to the man I love. And I got to hear 14 different artists or groups perform their version of bluegrass (or Celtic, or roots, or nu-grass, or....) music to a huge, appreciative audience. And it was E's birthday weekend, too, so spending time together, making good memories, and just relaxing WERE very important. When it was hot, we went to the creek. Or sprayed each other with our squirt bottle. When we were hungry we pulled out our yummy PB&H sandwiches or hit up one of the food vendors. We got free socks. We visited with friends we haven't seen in a while (Ironman training and finishing a PhD (Helen) will do that to you!). We enjoyed being alive and being in the moment.

Finally, I observed many, many good learning moments, too. Some of those were the topics in my earlier list. For example, we saw many top-quality performers (all the folks up on the stage were very, very good) but the ones who left the longest lasting impressions were the ones that played with heart. Do that. In everything you do. It doesn't have to be limited to music, do that with sport, with work, with life.

Also, challenge yourself. When you master a skill, find some way to do it better or make it harder, like playing your fiddle (fast!) while holding it upside down. Or like picking up a set of bones and using them to make music. Or finding a way to contribute to a song using a kazoo. Or a jug (really...was that your carry on? What did the airlines say when you flew with that to Denver from Calgary?).

Finally, don't limit yourself to be defined by what others think of you and your position in your group. There is no such thing as just a drummer, or one way that a mandolin should sound or be played. You can play a banjo with a bow (I saw it happen!). You can write and sing bluegrass in Mandarin Chinese.

Dream big. Live bigger. And do it with passion and heart.

-A

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