Real World Training

If you could be exceptional at either `intelligence' or `persistence' (not both), which would you prefer?

Sounds like a question I'd get from St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.  I'd probably get sent to hell `Express' for trying to negotiate a little of both. 

I'm about 70 % persistence, 20 % slack-jaw stump-stupid, and maybe 10% intelligence. 

When my clients saw all the degrees on my wall I'd try to lower the shock factor by telling them: "I'm educated waaay beyond my intelligence."  And, frankly, I think its true. 

I just kept going to school.  Didn't - WOULDN'T - stop.  I went to middling colleges and universities and they were happy to take my tuition as long as I didn't present as a potential embarrassment as an alumnus. 

Back to Training. 

After several depressing days of indoor training and a few shocking days of absolutely lethal outdoor training in the freezing, windy, icy, twisting mountain roads I figure out a real world training prospect for the cold months.  Drive down to a lower elevation and train. 

The snow line is about 5,000 feet.  I trained on rolling and challenging upgrades of 6% for 6 miles at 4,000 feet today.  It was windy, cold and wet.  But manageable due to the absence of crazy twisting descents and icy roads.  It was also in the mid-40's.

Dressing for the wind and wet requires `shell' clothes and some thin wool jerseys.  Made all the difference.

Training at lower elevation 

More tomorrow.