Discipline is based on pride, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of the goal or the fear of failure.
Anyone who has ever competed in, well, anything knows that, at some point, there comes a moment when pain replaces ease and enjoyment. It's a feeling that creeps up long before an athlete hits their 'wall' in a race, sticks into your body with every movement, and infects the mind with the growing desire to quit.
If you're at the beginning of your training plan, fun converts to work just moments after you get into a groove. With a little more seasoning, you can hold off that pain a little longer. The idea is that, with repetition, your race becomes more comfortable and you can push the pace.
The training plan is where your vision manifests itself tangibly into your world. The schedule is a living, breathing reminder of a goal, waiting for you around every corner. It's a beast disarmed by motivation and domesticated through discipline.
Discipline is where I have begun to thrive, knowing that you can't lie your way through an IronMan. Without putting in the work, the dream is dead. I think everyone has a moment, maybe more, when they question the journey and are forced to fall back on discipline they've used to cement their vision into mind.
At the center of my goal was to finish a 140.6 mile triathlon - a simple statement to write on the proverbial bulletin board. But as I cycled my first miles and floundered for the first month in the pool, I realized there was a secondary component to the athletic future I saw for myself: body composition.
Body stereotypes come with every type of cardio athlete and, quite frankly, I didn't want to have the thin, scrawny build I carried through the Philadelphia marathon. At the risk of adding extra hours to my plan, I set out to keep weightlifting 5-6 days a week while I kicked three-discipline cardio into full gear.
The product that pops out on the other side of that brutal machine is a version of myself that is unrefined but constantly progressing. Running a marathon and swimming three miles with the same body that squats, deadlifts, and pushes a substantial amount is, to me, a maximization of what we're given.
Below is a flyover of what my weeks entail as I move between two athletic centers to chase my vision. And believe me, without discipline built over the course of the program at the heart of it all, I'm going to miss half of these workouts.
Monday: AM Lift - Triceps/Back, PM Cardio - Swim 2000-3000m
Tuesday: AM Lift - Quads/Abs, PM Cardio - Bike 15-25 mi
Wednesday: AM Lift - Chest/Calves, PM Cardio - Run 5-8 mi
Thursday: AM Lift - Hamstrings/Biceps, PM Cardio - Short Bike/Run
Friday: PM Lift - Shoulders, PM Cardio - Swim (speed) 2000m
Saturday: AM Lift - Back/Chest/Abs, PM Cardio - Short Bike/Run (speed)
Sunday: Long Cardio - Bike/Run
A careful measure of fluidity keeps me fresh if I plan correctly and enough variety to limit the inevitable monotony. It's a lot and one hell of a commitment, but I truly enjoy the chase. There are weeks when the schedule is compressed and others where energy is in short supply, but an unconscious drive is there to keep you going.
Define your goal, build your discipline, and live your dream.
If you're at the beginning of your training plan, fun converts to work just moments after you get into a groove. With a little more seasoning, you can hold off that pain a little longer. The idea is that, with repetition, your race becomes more comfortable and you can push the pace.
The training plan is where your vision manifests itself tangibly into your world. The schedule is a living, breathing reminder of a goal, waiting for you around every corner. It's a beast disarmed by motivation and domesticated through discipline.
Discipline is where I have begun to thrive, knowing that you can't lie your way through an IronMan. Without putting in the work, the dream is dead. I think everyone has a moment, maybe more, when they question the journey and are forced to fall back on discipline they've used to cement their vision into mind.
At the center of my goal was to finish a 140.6 mile triathlon - a simple statement to write on the proverbial bulletin board. But as I cycled my first miles and floundered for the first month in the pool, I realized there was a secondary component to the athletic future I saw for myself: body composition.
Body stereotypes come with every type of cardio athlete and, quite frankly, I didn't want to have the thin, scrawny build I carried through the Philadelphia marathon. At the risk of adding extra hours to my plan, I set out to keep weightlifting 5-6 days a week while I kicked three-discipline cardio into full gear.
The product that pops out on the other side of that brutal machine is a version of myself that is unrefined but constantly progressing. Running a marathon and swimming three miles with the same body that squats, deadlifts, and pushes a substantial amount is, to me, a maximization of what we're given.
Below is a flyover of what my weeks entail as I move between two athletic centers to chase my vision. And believe me, without discipline built over the course of the program at the heart of it all, I'm going to miss half of these workouts.
Monday: AM Lift - Triceps/Back, PM Cardio - Swim 2000-3000m
Tuesday: AM Lift - Quads/Abs, PM Cardio - Bike 15-25 mi
Wednesday: AM Lift - Chest/Calves, PM Cardio - Run 5-8 mi
Thursday: AM Lift - Hamstrings/Biceps, PM Cardio - Short Bike/Run
Friday: PM Lift - Shoulders, PM Cardio - Swim (speed) 2000m
Saturday: AM Lift - Back/Chest/Abs, PM Cardio - Short Bike/Run (speed)
Sunday: Long Cardio - Bike/Run
A careful measure of fluidity keeps me fresh if I plan correctly and enough variety to limit the inevitable monotony. It's a lot and one hell of a commitment, but I truly enjoy the chase. There are weeks when the schedule is compressed and others where energy is in short supply, but an unconscious drive is there to keep you going.
Define your goal, build your discipline, and live your dream.
Comments
Post a Comment