What's in a Mantra?

Now that my workouts are getting more structured, and more intense, I'm learning new things. The biggest thing I have learned is that sometimes, during those workouts, I have to go someplace else. Not physically, but mentally.

A couple days ago in my spin class it hit me. If I spend time thinking about what I am doing it is a lot of work, and my mind says I want to slow down and back off on my resistance. But then I had one of those "A-ha!" moments. If I get lost in the music, and focus on something other than what I am doing, I get a lot more out of the workout. Some people refer to it as going to their "happy place". Okay, this type of mental replacement is not new to me. Marine Corps boot camp held many a "happy place" moment. But that was (I still find it hard to believe) 26 years ago. Since then I have not put myself through anything that needed such a distraction.

During the class I hear a song I was unfamiliar with. I'm mostly a Rock kind of guy, so Pink is not on any of my playlists. But there was a certain refrain in this particular song that put it into perspective for me, and has become my new mantra for the bike.

Now a mantra, for anyone who is not familiar with the term, is a word or phrase that you use to help you get through certain situations. It can be as short as one I read where a guy was doing his first Ironman. On the palm of his hands his wife wrote, "I can" and "I will". When he was struggling he just looked at his hands and got the motivation he needed. Others I have seen used are:

• I'm a runner!
• I can do it!
• I'm a hot potato. I AM A HOT STRAIGHT-OFF-THE -FARM POTATO! (No clue what it means, but it meant something to this gal.)
• Remember to breathe!

Cycling for me has always been recreational in nature. Ever since being a kid on Starlight Drive in Saginaw, Michigan I have been on bikes. The most competitive I ever got might have been racing the Dornseifer's around the block. Mostly we rode the fields, or pulled each other on skateboards. So training for triathlons is a much different experience than anything in my history. The effort to accel takes dedication, and the ability to lose yourself in something else.

This is where my cycling mantra comes in. For me it reminds me of the past, the effort it takes to train for something like this now at 45 years old, and the fact that I will not only overcome it, but I will destroy it!

"This used to be a funhouse, but now it's full of evil clowns. It's time to start the countdown, I'm gonna burn it down!"

I am not only READY to continue this challenge, but I am EXCITED about continuing this challenge!