Where do I stand today?
It’s time to reflect on my sporting situation. I’m just wondering whether I can currently assess how I’m doing in terms of achieving my sporting goal. It’s still quite a long way off.
To be honest, I don’t know.
In conversations with my dearest partner, it becomes increasingly clear to me that this uncertainty is not really important. Because: the journey is the destination! I do my best to focus on treating my current seven to ten training sessions per week as meditative self-awareness. I anchor myself and my mind in my body, which almost always responds with a supple feeling of sensual positivity and strength. I am regularly imbued with a great sense of gratitude that I am still able to have this profound experience at the age of almost 79. That alone is worth sticking with, whatever the final outcome. I can satisfy myself with a focus that gives me structure and quality of life.
Just before my weekly training effort increases significantly again with the start of my outdoor bike rides, I am in the process of making my training plan, which is based on the highly complex training software azum.com, even more specific to me – and above all to my physical limits as an ageing athlete. Certain units, spit out by azum.com based on my test values – AI sends its regards! – make sense for ambitious athletes in their prime, but not for me as an ageing athlete. I have to admit that to myself. It’s always about the same thing: Making friends with my age and all its effects on life and its finiteness. “Own your age” is the title of a recently published book that deals with this topic.
For me, this means that thanks to Coach Dan and his software, I have now learned a lot and experienced how to implement it, including with regard to watt and heart rate zones in my training sessions. Also what I used to do wrong and now consistently implement better. But ultimately, I know myself and my body better than any software, no matter how specific it is. I still use azum.com, especially for feedback and analysis, but I have switched to the “Selfcoaching” tool. I now receive the suggested units rolled out, but can then tailor them to my individual needs. I do certain units according to the guidelines, while I modify or simplify others to get the best out of them for me and my physical condition. And once a month, I discuss my results with Coach Dan.
