Cutting Corners

This is just a quick reminder to everyone out there that cutting corners will not get you anywhere. Occasionally something might come up and you have to cut a ride short, or maybe you're not feeling so great so you take your run pace to 10 min per mile instead of 9 min per mile. That sort of thing is totally acceptable. When you are scheduled to ride 60 min, but only ride 55 min, or scheduled to try to hit 7 min miles but instead of trying because you know it will hurt you shoot for 7:15 mile, that's cutting corners. Often times corners are cut to remain comfortable. Being an athlete is not suppose to be comfortable all of the time. You should enjoy what you do, but you should enjoy it so that you are motivated through the not so glamorous times. Everytime you cut a corner in training you potentially jeprodize your performance gains. You might not even notice any difference in your fitness, but as soon as the season rolls around and you get beat by a tire width at the finish line, I can gaurantee that you'll remember everytime you knocked 5 min off a workout or made the intensity just a bit easier. 

This goes beyond just a personal issue though, this can effect your entire team. If your team is working for you then they believe that you have put the work in to close the deal. Everytime you cut a corner you risk not being able to close the deal and letting down your entire team. Be a team player and do your workouts the right way and don't let those cut corners come back and bite you at the finish line