The smoke has cleared at the O.K. Corral and only one will be left standing victorious. What if that person is you?
We, you, I all train for our own golden nugget, and if you have read my early post about pistols, horses, and my own golden nugget what almost seemed unobtainable at times, I ask you now what?
You see, I obtained my golden nugget, my driving force for the season – I won my A race and here I ask myself, Now what?
Every year since I have started cycling competitively, I have wanted to win the Hyde Park Blast race. It has not mattered to me if I won it as a Cat-5, 4, or a 3, the goal — or dream, if you will – has remained the same.
There was no parade and no celebratory dinner, simply a good job and congratulations from friends. Now you ask yourself: what now? A miner digging for gold does not stop when he gets a bag of dust. No, he keeps digging and scavenging, filling his wagon as it is never enough.
So what is the new goal you ask yourself? Ahhhh yes, to be better, faster, and stronger, sure we all want to achieve a higher level of fitness or strength in the sport of our choosing. To be better than before simply isn’t enough, is it? It needs to be, or should I say has to be proven – proven to yourself and all others that on this day I have chosen to kick all your asses.
Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? The obsession must continue but it must be felt, you cannot just randomly pick an event out of the calendar. No, this event has to have meaning, as it will be your driving force for the next winter season. One must not choose lightly as this is what will keep you on the trainer for hours when it is 10º outside with 14 inches of snow on the ground and not a fat bike in sight. Choose wisely, as it might take several years to get there if you do not succeed right away.
The Golden Nugget will not be the same for everyone and it does not matter if it’s a win – finishing your first century or a Strava record, these accomplishments are just a rock. The training is what makes the achievement golden.
