Focus on the Now

Blogging this journey has forced me to reflect on a weekly basis as to a) what we're doing with ourselves physically and b) what lessons we're learning as we prepare for next September (which feels like an eternity away). So .  . . here goes with the lessons and the cataloguing for this week:

 First, the cataloguing. I hit the pool a few times this week, biked, and lifted. JT swam and biked, and then he doctored. A night-time swim session left him with a numb leg, and the people-smarter-than-us told him he needed to seek some treatment.

One chiropractor visit, some x-rays, and some kind of funky electronic treatment led to the discovery that his pelvis and his back didn't line up. He said the x-rays pics were revealing and interesting to say the least. The chiropractor also gave him pretty strict orders to do nothing this weekend--no biking, no running, and no swimming.

Rest came pretty easily to him considering we are away visiting family for the weekend. So the foam roller took the place of the running shoes in the back of our beloved Ellie (the family vehicle). JT's biggest nemesis is the seat of the SUV he had to sit in for 700 miles. And this is where we once again thank God for small children. They can't sit for 700 miles either. So we stop. A lot. And we do laps around the vehicle at toddler/pre-school pace.

 Now, about those lessons . . .

 I keep thinking that triathlon--all the training, the awards, the finish line--has zero value if we can't take something away that helps us in the life that really matters.

 Several  times when I am in the middle of a workout, I cannot help but fast forward and put myself churning along in the Tennessee River or somewhere on a Georgia road gliding along in aero or pounding some pavement in Chattanooga.

 And then I stop.

The fear that ensures, moreso than the curiosity, has the potential to paralyze me mentally. And to press on, to endure a painful experience, we must focus on the now. Looking ahead does little good, save avoiding pitfalls that might lie ahead. But if we're in a place where we do not know the future, then looking ahead is a futile act.

 Insert real-life lesson here.

 When in the middle of a painful experience, we need to focus on the benefits, the now. Looking ahead does little good except to know that the pain will not last forever. 

 I read last week a profound quote by Teddy Roosevelt: "“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

Ironman and triathlon in general puts us in a place of effort, pain, and difficulty. It forces us to grow, to overcome an uncomfortable position. My hope is that someday, maybe even now, that we'll overcome uncomfortable positions because of this training.

 
For now, we're dealing with discomfort of a sore hip and just general inactivity. And yes, that is uncomfortable. Time to focus.

Off Season--Time Management Practice

We often get the a repeated question when those who don't know our OCD tendencies find out we both tackle endurance events: how do you find the time to do that?

(Before I go on, let me say we're no expert. All things I share in the blog are just simply how we do what we do. We don't do it perfectly, but it's how we're functioning (and succeeding to a degree) right now. Now, back to the question--how do we find time?)

I have one answer: spreadsheets.

I'm beginning to see the off-season as not only a time to practice our base building but also to practice time management. I've long acquiesced to the color-coded-spreadsheet method of managing time. It began quite innocently in college when I realized the amount of studying required for my perfectionist-personality to feel fulfilled. So I budgeted my time. Little did I know how this would prepare me for life as we know it today.

Much of managing time with two triathletes that have real jobs and three (awesome, little) kids in the house means using the time that we have creatively. When we started off-season training, we coordinated schedules. For us, that means we emailed each other what we'd individually like to accomplish each day, and then we compromised. Obviously we can't both go swimming at 5:45am. Someone needs to stay with the sleeping children. So we take turns, and in the end, four to five mornings a week, a Troxell is splashing around before 7am at the local pool. Just about every day will find one of us being the mom or the dad while the other one completes some sort of focused workout.

We've also learned that managing time means not whining about the restrictions life has on us now but instead embracing the blessings. Jason's job requires him to clock in by 7am four days a week. Then he sits in a cube until at least 5:30pm with a 30-minute lunch break. This type of schedule, however, affords him the blessing of a three-day-weekend every week.

My job is fairly flexible. I work from home, and while I do have some non-negotiable set hours, the rest of my work can take place when it works on the spread sheet (but it has to still go on the spreadsheet so the works gets done).

With that said, we basically both have the three-day-weekend to work with. And we capitalize on that as much as possible. Right now I'm swimming and running on Fridays, biking Saturday, and running long on Sunday. JT is swimming on Fridays, biking long on Saturdays, and running long on Sundays. In between time, we recover by hanging out with awesome kids and having them drive toy trucks on our sore legs and backs.

This upcoming week will really test the spreadsheet. October has expired along with Jason's self-imposed "off time." He jumped back on the wagon Friday morning with a mile swim and will continue long ride and long run this weekend (after a Christmas light-hanging and one last mowing session).

One more thing: I've learned that much of managing time is also recognizing that we simply cannot do everything we want to. We need to prioritize. After all, some things just do not fit onto the spreadsheet. Meet No-TV-November. I'm unplugging social media (for the most part) and the television for the month for myself. The peace that comes with the quiet evening is better than I could've imagined. More on that some other time, though.

Basically, for us time management means using the time we have to accomplish the tasks that we want to. We have three little kids and jobs that require 40 hours a week (and sometimes more). We still need to eat, do laundry, and keep the domicile maintained. Thankfully, it's winter and the off season, so we're not talking about a five-hour workout right now. We're just talking about finding time for an hour-bike ride here and there or a 45-minute swim.

We do not claim or pretend to have time management figured out, not by a long shot. We do know what works for us. The biggest key to succeeding at working out and having a spouse who does the same is simply being willing to compromise and know that you have each other's best interest at heart. It also might mean going to bed at night and setting the alarm an hour earlier than normal.