This is not one of the regular “everything is going holly jolly fine and I’m getting stronger by the hour”-posts. I am getting stronger and training wise everything is more or less going okay – it is not always easy getting it done but I do it. I have to.
The theme of this post is my lack of love for the Danish winter - what that little bastard does to my mood and motivation, and the though challenges of sacrificing things I love for a greater cause.
Maybe I ought to just shut the cakehole, but I must honestly admit that I have a really hard time at the moment. First of all, I am allergic to the dark Danish winter – and that’s a fact. The power gets sucked right out of me. I am tired 24/7 and the only thing I really wanna do is get the hell outta here. The winter seems to last forever and its just getting started. Sigh!
This is not a new feeling for me. I have had it for years. The new thing this year is that I am still here. In Denmark. Up until now I have been quite okay with it. Settled to make it through - yup, we are talking “making it through” - but wow it is really sneaking in on me at the moment, and I am only beginning to learn how to cope with it. Even training is a hazzle. Not the training itself, but the process of getting there.
There is nothing in the world I would rather do than say “f*ck it”, pack my bag, and jump on the first, the best bus to the Alps and don’t look back. Like I use to. It is not gonna happen, though. There are just too many issues and factors working against it and too much at stake.
Sacrifices.
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| R.I.P. |
The past years I have been skiing more than most Danish people get to do in an entire lifetime. I love it. Really. Right now a lot of my friends are leaving for the Alps. Their Facebook-updates keep smashing it in my face; “Two days before we go to Val Thorens. Wuuuhuuuu” ,“See you in the snow”, “Dumping in Breck” ,“Whistler is awesome”…Damn you, Facebook!!
This year I might not get one single day on my skis. Not even one. Last year I had 9 weeks. One hell of a cold turkey. Maybe hard to understand for people not having the same passion, but it is extremely though at the moment. I could go. I want to go. Maybe I get one week but if so I will just do "safe runs", not too much of new challenging stuff, and definitely not anything that smells a bit like freestyle. It is simply too risky.
So – years ago I bailed on football, which I love, to an even greater love, skis. Now I am turning down skis because of triathlon. That says a lot, actually.
Ohhh yeah, and also my inliners must stay in the locker when spring comes, even if I get to go to the playground above them all, Barcelona. Uhf!
Bottom line is that prioritizing triathlon training above everything else is necessary but sometimes a bit hard. Especially when everybody else keeps reminding me how much fun they are having doing those other things I hold so dear.
The parties. The drinks. The junk food. The Sundays on the couch. I can live with all of that – or without it. That is actually, when I think about it, just a bonus – to some extend. It is the scarifies of my other sport-loves that is the real challenge.
However, the goal in the distance helps convincing me to stick in there, and I am sure going to keep on fighting to reach it (…and just get through this bloody winter). In the end the sum of all of the outstanding experiences it will give me is all worth it, I am sure.
And now...I will shut the cakehole. Thank's for your patience :)
...Every single triathlete struggles with those thoughts, actually having the same thoughts about going skiing - but to tell you it's well worth the effort would be an extreme understatement:)
ReplyDeleteThe runs in clear winter cold - or a late summer evening, not to speak of when you're on that starting line an early morning with a bunch of other swimmers!
Well, you won't regret:)
/A fellow triathlete/twitter follower (triguydk)
Iron Man = Won't break!
ReplyDeleteGo skiing god dam it!!!
Take control of your life and don´t live in fear of getting injuries!!!!
@triguydk: Great to have you "here" :) And thank's for the motivating words - I'm sure I won't regret!
ReplyDelete@Kaufmann:
Well, if Iron Men won't break then I don't know what I am. Fact is that I DO get injured really easy when I play football or ski.
E.g. from last year:
I tore my ligaments in my knee skiing - out for 2 months(should have been even longer. Can still feel it). Sprained my thumb - skiers thumb - several times, which would mean a lot of pain on the bike for ages.
I twisted my ankle playing football in the spring("okay, I play just ONE match" Doh!!) - dealt with that for months.
And these are just the major things.
The kind of skiing that I do is really risky and that is what I have a lot of respect about. I probably will go skiing, no worries. Just then I will ski like a normal tourist - no biggie in that ;)
So my point is that by NOT doing those things I AM taking control of my life.
But frankly, I don't live in fear - I just think before I do stuff. Big difference!