Competition: It's in my Nature

Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 3:10pm

"We fight because it is our nature. It is the calling of our heart." - Michael J. Stracyzinski

February 26th marked the last day of my physical therapy. Four months of working on rehabilitating and strengthening the ligaments in my knee, particularly the torn meniscus that first caused me problems back in September. From there I suffered a number of overuse injuries leading to hematomas, internal bleeding, scar tissue, range-of-motion loss, and general muscle fatigue. Four months of fighting to get back to a level that I had worked so hard to achieve. The constant sense of fatigue, exhaustion and frustration was only exacerbated by the limitations my body placed on itself. My heart wished to soar, but my feet would no longer leave the ground. It has been very hard for me.

Four months of gritting through pain as I worked to regain stability in my knee and balance in my hips. Squatting through tears and lunging through knots. Anyone can achieve their goals when they are in top form and at the height of their power. The true test of a warrior's spirit is when they are broken and beaten down. When their support system is gone and their body hangs by a thread. When temptation offers comfort and rest to the weary body and hopeless mind. It is there where true grit is shown:

"It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys." - Emil Zatopek

I've never shied away from a challenge since I first began my journey two years ago. I have continued to demand more and more from myself even as I recover from the last accomplishment. The first year saw my first marathon, triathlon, 1/2 IronMan and full IronMan. The second year saw my first Ultramarathon and first 100 mile Ultramarathon. I'm in my third year and by the time I finish with my goals for this year I will have discovered an entirely new definition for terms like pain, fortitude, and crazy.

I suppose the most difficult transition throughout this entire process has been learning how to balance my body's training with the amount of time needed to recover. When I first started out in the Summer of 2006 I was huffing and puffing my way to finish three miles. By January 2007 I was running 6 1/2 miles seven days a week. Summer of 2007 I was running 9 miles a day and either swimming or biking. A year later I was running 12 miles a day and swimming or biking.

All of that took a serious hit when I started adding in weight training in addition to what I was already doing. I didn't even realize it but I was training for about 5 1/2 hours a day for four days a week and still training the other three. It wasn't that I was doing too much; I was just doing too much with too little rest time in between. So I learned the hard way. Like with everything else it was a learning experience.

"Winners build on mistakes. Losers dwell on them." - Arnold Mori

So for the last four months I have tried to claw myself back to the point where I could finish my workouts and still feel good and energized. It's an on-going process but at least I am stronger for the road I have taken.

"A competitor will find a way to win. Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves just that much harder. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up. It's all a matter of pride." - Nancy Lopez

The day after I finished my last therapy session I wanted to hop into the pool for a nice slow swim to let my muscles relax and get myself used to a slow workout. I recently thought about how I was training and I realized that every run, every swim was a high-intensity workout where I pushed myself to exhaustion. I really needed to focus on different kinds of workouts with individual goals in mind. So I hopped in the pool and was off to a slow start...just like I planned.

After about a half mile of a very slow, relaxed swim I noticed someone get into the next lane as I started another lap. Immediately I started telling myself to keep taking long and slow measured strokes and to maintain the pace I was swimming. The guy had a chiseled body; the type I had always wanted but traded for video games and ice cream way back when I was about 10 years old. It's always been a source of pride for me that I compete in these races with men that have phenomenal bodies, and I beat them. It reminds me of the old saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Or the great line from Transformers, way back before the movie was released: "More than meets the eye."

"The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort." - Colin Powell

So this guy starts off swimming at a fast pace and within 100 yards catches up to me. I had already noticed myself extending my stroke and pushing off with more force as he approached me. As he passed me I continued to tell myself to stick to the plan. Yeah...that lasted for about 10 seconds before he started to pull away from me. I started to lengthen my stroke and use my upper body strength to keep myself half a body-length behind him. We made a few turns and he saw that I was still right behind him so he started swimming faster! Challenge, extended. I'm sorry, it's one thing to come in and start swimming at your own pace, but if someone is going to try and prove that they are better than me it's going to fire me up like you would not believe. Challenge, accepted.

Normally, when I swim, I don't really use my legs at all. I flutter kick to keep myself afloat and to get a little extra push but most of the propulsion comes from my upper body. I do that because it allows me to save my legs for the bike and run portions of my triathlons. So as we made the turn and he started to swim faster I began to kick. Nothing like a sprint. I just began to use my upper and lower body simultaneously as I swam. I quickly caught up to him and passed him. I only went far enough that he would be swimming right off of my heels as we went up and down the pool together. We swam like that for about a half-mile before he stopped. That's right. Catch your breath. I kept swimming. I thought our little competition was over. I was wrong.

As I reached the opposite end of the pool and came up for air I saw that he was waiting for me to reach the end so we could swim against each other going opposite directions in the pool. That little bastard, I thought. So we danced our little dance. At this point I was content to keep a steady pace and match his speed. Swimming long distances is so much easier when you get into a rhythmic groove. Every once in a while he would stop as I swam another lap before he continued to swim against me.

After I had swimming for about 1 1/2 miles he stopped and it looked as if he had left the pool for a second. I was just patting myself on the back mentally when I realized he was putting on swim paddles and a floaty between his legs. They are used as training devices that aid in developing your swimming technique, but they also act as aids. They make swimming further and faster much less difficult. A normal person would have conceded that the competition was over and that I could go back to swimming at my original pace. If I were a normal person I would agree.

This time he waited until I pulled up alongside him to start swimming again. Of course. He wanted to beat me even if he was getting help. I stayed with him the first lap but he was starting to pull away...and then I started swimming.

“You can't just beat [someone], you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again.” - Mia Hamm

Any time I train, whether it's in the pool or on the road, I focus on breathing. Over the past two years I have been able to train my body to sustain prolonged levels of low-intensity exercising by maintaining a low heart rate. Usually when resting I breath four times a minute, three if I'm conscious of it and twice per minute if I am focusing on breathing exercises. Most swimmers breath every two strokes when racing. I train by breathing on every fourth stroke. Even when swimming 2 1/2 miles during my IronMan competitions I'll swim this way to regulate my heart rate. This also gives me the advantage of being able to significantly increase my speed by taking in more oxygen. So as the other swimmer started to pull away I began breathing on every third stroke and increase my pace. Not to match his speed, but to surpass it.

I pulled away from him again until we were on opposite ends of the pool again and then I just kept my pace to his. He finally stopped trying to race me and just swam for whatever his original purpose was, and I slowed my own heart rate by returning to my normal breathing pattern. Eventually, he stopped all together and left the pool. I cackled hysterically. Under water. It was glorious.

"Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition -- in having put forth the best within you." - Henry J. Kaiser

I finished up my swim with a half mile cool down before getting out of the pool. All told, I swam about 2 1/2 miles consecutively and I felt great. The best part was that my muscles and my knee had felt relatively well throughout the entire swim. It was rewarding to me to have gone through so much therapy and working so diligently to work my way back and to have that pay off is a great feeling.

"The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give." - Howard Cosell

Competition is the whetstone of talent. Even when training by alone I will always challenge myself or set goals for me to complete along the way. The only way to get better is to push yourself to become better. I have learned so much about myself and have accomplished so much recently. I will continue to learn from my mistakes and grow through experience, and I will never back down from a fight. It's in my nature.