The Be An 11! Quote of the Day 05.22.2008

Catch the Fever Be An 11! BELIEVER!



You can always get better!

You can never get there. It’s a journey with no arrival.

And that’s the beauty of it-that you can always become better the next day.

It’s pretty cool to think about it in that sense.

Tomorrow I will be a better player than I was today.

Tiger Woods

Wow, even Tiger Woods thinks he can get better! I think this quote is great and summarizes the way a lot of triathletes think. Have you ever done a race, it went great, things came together, took some time off a split, maybe even PR'd, yet...you could still say, "Yea, it was a great race, but I was off on my swim, or, I had heavy legs on the bike..etc etc, or, I know I can go faster." This is the attitude that keeps you going, and fuels the desire to push yourself to get better. It gets you out the door in the early a.m for a run, holds your hand and pulls you onto the trainer in the basement all winter, forces you into the weight room, helps you overcome the guilt of missing time with your family (this is a hard one!).

Triathletes are generally overachievers. You almost have to be to get the training done on top of work, and family obligations. My work friends look at me in amazement when I put on running clothes to go for a run at lunch, questioning why I would do this. But its because I know and want to get better. At 40, and who knows how many years I've been doing this sport(afraid to count), I still know I can be better. Im doing IM USA this year and haven't raced an IM for a lot of years. In fact last one I did I really didn't have a coach, so I know I can do better. I've been thinking about Tiger's quote a lot this week because I am working my way through a HUGE training week, more hours than I have ever done or even thought I could handle. Adam is a great coach and always has a way of getting you to do things you never though you could. I'm doing workouts and things I never would have dreamed I'd be doing. At the end of this big week I still have ahead of me an "Ironman simulation day" (you can only imagine), and a 10 mile run race on wasted legs.

So, if Tiger thinks he has room for improvement, I know I do, and so does everyone else. Just dedicate yourself to doing what you know you need to do to get better. Is that, showing up to masters, not skipping workouts, eating fewer cookies, or....resting when supposed to.

Train Safe.