Every once in a while, when I'm riding or, in this case, skiing, a clear thought will pop into my head from out of the haze of effort.
I realized yesterday, when I'm skiing around at Chapin, or at Girdled Road, I'm continually trying to go faster. For example, I'll vary my stride so I have a longer glide, or I'll shift my torso around so the poles are hitting the ground at a different angle. I do the same thing when I'm riding a time trial. I'll try alternating the effort from left to right leg, keeping my back flat, etc... During a crit, I'll try to find a slightly better line through a turn.
The persistent idea is I should be faster. It's probably an idea that every cyclist, runner, or skier has. That idea probably applies to several different endeavors. Someone might seek wisdom, for example, someone else might try to improve their craft. It's probably been there since the first person was unhappy with the performance of their wooden spear and made a stone point for it.
I guess that an idea can also become a delusion--the delusion is that someday by the force of will, or that the sum total of all my work will suddenly pay off and I'll be way faster than I am today--that there's an endpoint. I'd call this the apotheosis delusion--that there are no limits. In reality, the limits are pretty stark. I can just get a little faster every season for a while.
2 comments:
We can do what we can do within our limit's and means to get faster if that is the objective. I have come to the conclusion that at my age and my ability I'm blessed to be able to do these sports and have good health. If I didn't get any faster and I still can have fun and feel good doing what I'm doing, that's a great thing. it doesn't matter anymore if I race the A race or the B race. I do know that some folks take it a little more seriously and I take things seriously as well, but we all do this for the sheer fun and it's a great lifestyle, we all have to keep things in perspective!
I agree with you, Bill. I'm happy pursuing these sports and improving my health and fitness, and trying to get faster--even if I don't really get much faster at all. It's fun to keep working on it, and to accumulate more experience over the seasons.
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