#62: What’s so good about normal?

I’ve come to terms with being an odd-ball.  I’m not really sure when it happened, but at some point, I just embraced it.  I’m a triathlon-doing, entrepreneur-striving, human-achievement-data-nerd with a penchant for being a bit on the anti-social side……and?


The truth is, even though I’ve come to terms with it, every now and again, I still find myself WANTING to have what I perceive to be a normal week…..if such a thing even exists.  I imagine it’s relatively passive…..just letting life come to you for a while…..sort of sounds like a vacation…..but that can’t really be normal can it?  If so, that’s such a foreign concept that I’m barely able to wrap my brain around it.


And to that end, maybe I DID have a normal week and I just didn’t realize it.
  • Waking up most days before 5A is normal…..right?  
  • Feeling a little guilty because you ONLY did an hour of exercise is normal…..right?  
  • Thinking that if you had a spare $2500 laying around you’d probably spend it on bicycle wheels is normal…..right?  
  • Dreaming of going to a tropical island…….for swimming camp is normal…..isn’t it? (Thanks for teasing that one Wes)  
  • Running outdoors in sub-freezing temps long enough for your hand to go nearly numb is normal…..obviously (last time I mistakenly bring a sock instead of a glove).  
  • Starting your afternoon workout at 8P is normal…..isn’t it?  (Have to work around those darned swim teams…..those kids are water-bullies).
“You are what you repeatedly do…..Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit”

So despite my total lack of understanding of what “normal” is any more…..I know that when it comes to my goal….I should feel right at home…..it’s incredibly ABNORMAL to qualify for the Ironman Championships, about 1600 slots exist for more than 40,000 finishers annually….i.e. somewhere around the top 4% make it……i.e. far right of the “normal”.


So to recap…..I sometimes wish I could lead a normal life…..but yet, I have ABnormal goals…..and so I know I need to be happy to embrace my lack of normalcy…..


Whew, glad we got all that straight…..so if I decide it’s really not normal I’m shooting for after all, but an extraordinary experience A.K.A. an “excellent” moment, I really just need to follow those immortal words (above in red) of Aristotle…..keep repeating my abnormal….in hopes that it might just be abnormal enough to be excellent.


So how’d I do?  Well here’s a snapshot of my personal ELEMENTS (in blue) for the wek as well as my methods:


Notice the small change in language of my “weekly grades” to match our new monthly ELEMENTS blog (click HERE to check it out) or sign-up on our website www.pro-activity.com 

PHYSIOLOGY
Move (Training Variables): B+ 3 swims, 3 bikes, 3 runs, 1 strength session
Fuel (Nutrition): B+ Solid but not perfect, better on hydration
Recover (Physiologic Stressors): B- enough rest to repair, but not enough to get ahead, tight, but pain free.


PSYCHOLOGY
Endure (Mindset): C+ a little burnt by later in the week, but tuned back in by weekend.
Connect: B Felt decent about this one.  Family time was OK and got to do a couple of group training sessions, which is always refreshing.


METHODOLOGY
Quality of effort: B- Training quality was there for the most part this week, but I definitely felt a little burnt which hurt the quality of a few sessions.  This is a particularly important variable because with time being such a limiter, it’s critical that every session be highly valuable. 


So, if I use my key below, I wind up with a B- for the week.


Scoring Key:
A+ = 5.5 A = 5.3 A- = 5.0
B+ = 4.5 B  = 4.3 B- = 4.0
C+ = 3.5 C = 3.3 C- = 3.0
D+ = 2.5 D = 2.3 D- = 2.0
F+ = 1.5 F = 1.3 F- = 1.0


Variables:
MOVE:  Volume, Frequency, Intensity
FUEL: Nutrition, Hydration
RECOVER: Sleep/Fatigue, Pain, Recovery
ENDURE: Outlook, Growth Focus, Present
CONNECT: Family & Relationships
METHODOLOGY: Quality of Swim, Bike, Run sessions


Not terrible…..but still need to work toward an “A” week.


And so, get back to Abnormal starting…..NOW.


Have a great week!


Mike E.