Get back to basics

215 days to race day

“Every man dies, not every man really lives.” – William Wallace in Braveheart

Well, it’s that time of season again, the season of giving.  And for the family of endurance athletes it can be a very taxing time indeed.  Ask any triathlete what new gear they need and they will begin to rattle off a list of gadgets and gizmos that sound as if Stephen Hawking himself would be baffled in trying to figure out how to apply them.  Watt meters, aero helmets, skin suits, ceramic bearing carbon disc wheels (yes, that is for real) and the list goes on ad infinitum.  You would think it should be easy to load up on gifts by simply going to the local shop and dropping a little bit of cash.  Not so.

The problem is that there is way too much science and tech speak built into all of this.  My wife asked what I wanted for Christmas and I half-jokingly mentioned I could use some new pedals.  The problem is if she goes to Amazon and searches “bike pedals” it returns 11,545 results.  Good luck with that honey!

Now I know what I want.  It only took me a good 8 or 10 hours of extensive research and half a dozen stops at the bike shop to determine I “need” the Speedplay Zero Titanium.  That comes with a hefty price tag of $335 so I’ll settle for the Speedplay Light Action Stainless Steel for $185.  That’s $185 – for pedals.  Well, now that this is staring back it me on paper I suppose I could concede to something a little more reasonable. 

If you have sticker shock on that then let me educate you a little bit on wheels.  The best are made from space age carbon fiber, weigh close to nothing at all, and have been designed over years in a wind tunnel to reduce wind drag (some even claim to have a positive drag effect under certain conditions – I don’t believe it though).  If you’re a cheap bastard like myself you shop for these on e-Bay with a starting price tag of $800 for a front wheel.  Of course you could do better and spend $3,000 to $6,000 for a set which will make you much faster, or at least look like you’ll be faster.  The real kicker is that even the most advanced wheel technology will save me 2 to 3 minutes over a 56 mile ride.  Maybe I could gain bigger dividends with a little more time training?

This phenomenom is not restricted to triathlon though.  Any activity with a passionate fan base is victim to the over science.  When I played hockey as a kid you had 2 choices in sticks – right handed or left handed.  Now you have to decide on flex, blade lie, taper, and I don’t even know what else.  And then if you can’t find what you’re looking for just have something custom made.  If you don’t believe me then just take a look at whatever your hobby or passion is and you’ll be amazed at the ridiculous amount of products available.

The problem with all this great technology is that it may have made us quicker, stronger, more agile, but I believe it has taken away from the true aspect of why we participate in our passions.  We tend to focus more on shaving 25 grams from the bike or finding a new pitching wedge with a perfect head angle than enjoying the activity itself.  I forget how good it feels to have the sun on my face and a breeze blowing down my back on a long ride when I’m so concerned about gear.  You can’t have a cathartic experience over material possessions.  I do endurance events because they are a form of physical meditation that calms me mentally.  That can easily get fouled up with some analysis paralysis.  I’m much better off just getting out the door and pounding the pavement.

I have found one activity that is still rather supreme in its utility though – trail running.  It is the most even playing field you can find.  The fastest runners are the ones that put the time in on their feet.  There is  no technology or financial price one can pay to gain an advantage.  A $300 pair of shoes will gain you nothing over my $70 pair and there are no gadgets that will create a more aerodynamic running position.

One year as I lined up for the start of a Voyageur 50 I saw a runner with not 1, but 2 water bottles duct taped to his hands!  Yes, I said duct taped.  If that isn’t the very definition of form over function then I don’t know what is.  Any triathlete would have a heart attack if you approached their bike with any attachment that has not been lab tested and proven to provide a 1/10 nanosecond savings.  Seeing him at the start of the race made me chuckle not only because he looked silly but because I realized trail running is a pure sport of man against himself.  But then I thought how in the hell is he going to go to the bathroom?  I can get away without a bathroom break for a marathon but a 10 hour trail run necessitates evacuating the bladder at some point.  Suddenly I got this mental image of him struggling to untie his shorts with those stubby bottles taped to his hands while doing the pee-pee dance.  I suppose there can be a thing as too much utility, but I digress.

When I was brainstorming the content for this post it reminded me of the William Wallace quote above.  I don’t think that every person who participates in endurance events truly experiences it.  I know I am certainly guilty of that from time to time.  I need to get back to basics and experience the process, not hastily rush through my training just to get it done so I can research the next advancement in equipment.  More time doing, less time thinking about doing.

The same applies to all other areas in my life.  I have family that I share time with but I don’t always let them know how much they mean to me.  I have friends but I forget to set aside some quality time with them.  I may be alive but I need to concentrate on living to the fullest.  Merry Christmas everyone and here’s hoping you get to experience the holidays with the ones you love.