Tuesday, January 11, 2011

I listened....

I have had some big weeks of training recently. Surprisingly, I was handling it well and while some workouts were tough my body was rising to the occasion and I was doing some really solid work. I had a day off last Monday followed by some long days on Tuesday through Thursday. On Wednesday, I had some hard efforts on the bike which took a lot of mental toughness to get through. Thursday my bike ride was solid but my motivation was waning. I was tired. I was grumpy. I was hungry ALL the TIME. Friday morning I set out for my 75 min. trail run. I was not super excited about it but figured once I got going I would get into a rhythm and be motivated to get the work done. It did not happen. I started my run, stepped in a huge puddle of mud about 10 minutes in and was so pissed about it. Yes, I had a fit right there on the trail because I could not understand how it could still be muddy when it had not rained in 5 days! I soldiered on but then the tears came. I was DONE. Mentally I just lost it. I was so tired, unmotivated and just wanted to sleep. I don't really cry that much. Since the tears were flowing for absolutely NO REASON I listened to what my body was saying. It had enough and was screaming for a rest. I usually hit this wall when I break physically but I have become stronger and I guess it is good to know that the body could take the pounding. However, I was exhibiting some real fatigue through my mood and emotions.

I emailed my coach to tell him of my episode on the trail and he responded by saying it sounded like I was very tired and then mentioned that he wished he had a video of me stomping around and crying in the mud. I was laughing as I wrote him the email as well. Gosh, I felt like an idiot. At this time of year I am okay with finding my limits. To become better I have to listen to my mind and body. Training is realized through recovery and my hard work would not be beneficial if I did not allow myself to rest and recover. Yes, I missed a run and swim on Friday but, in reality, I would probably have not become better by soldiering through those 2 sessions feeling the way I was. There are days you have to push yourself but also days when you have to know when to back off. This is the hardest part for me. I want to push myself all the time but as I get more experience I am starting to figure out the difference between when I need to just suck it up and when I need to call it a day. Example---when I start crying because of mud on my shoes I need to stop---immediately.

Luckily, we had a weekend planned up near Lake Tahoe to ski so I was able to completely leave triathlon alone for 2.5 days. It took some convincing from Andy (and more tears) to get me in the car but once we made it up to the condo at Kirkwood I had relaxed and was ready to accept my TFW (triathlon free weekend). We downhill skied both days but did not push the envelope. Of course, we got to a run that I thought I would never be able to make it down but once I got going and committed to making my turns (thus allowing my skis to point downhill for .2 seconds) I did fine. Another common occurrence on the mountain. I freak out. Andy tries to talk me down the mountain. I tell him I can do it on my own and eventually go and don't stop until I get to the bottom of the run. He thinks I don't listen to his skiing advice but I do. He is a good skier and while I get snippy I hear what he is saying and listen to his tips on how to ski better.

Here we are on Sunday---it was a beautiful day but no new snow.

A beautiful view and only 3 hours from our house. Love to drive to winter and then drive home.

We came home on Sunday and I swam yesterday and had a massage. I was very scared I would still feel crappy but my swim went well. I ran this morning and had some bounce in my step. Next up is an easy ride and then a birthday dinner at Celadon. A good day for sure!

1 comment:

  1. This happened to me last year - I cried on my bike. And the ride wasn't that hard. I'd just reached my pure limit. Only time I've ever cried on my bike. But I listened too and knew it was time to call it. Keep it up!

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