Off Season Slump

Off Season.

It's almost a curse word in my household.  Off season.  Meaning I'm taking time off from something that I love.  That I NEED.  A day without an endorphin fix is torture.  A week?  Two weeks?  You do not want to be in the same zip code as me.

I'm going to be me, here... which is all I really know how to be anyway.  And I'm going to be honest and say things that I'm certain everyone else is feeling despite all their happy, positive, I'm-loving-my-off-season posts.  Off season f**king sucks.

Aside from feeling completely sluggish and fat (which I realize is all relative) I turn in to a bumbling, whining... girl.  I start to doubt everything I've accomplished.  I start to doubt that I can achieve any of my goals.  Yes, the same goals that I was sure I was going to smash in 2015 just 3 weeks ago.

Everyone around me is winning races.  And there are photos all over Facebook and Twitter about all the trail races, and road races, and jingle bell runs, and marathons, and people qualifying for Boston all over the place.  And the only marathon I'm participating in is the Criminal Minds marathon viewed from the comfort of my couch.  I couldn't even go to the damn donut run at shop because I was working that day.  And that's a 5k I could probably win right now.

Post IM Arizona I had a week of active recovery.  No problem.  Then it turned into swim-only week, no more than 4k per day.  I managed to knock out 24,000 meters that week because if it's my only source of exercise, you better believe I'm going to maximize.  I was "encouraged" to take a day off, which I did when I came down with some viral funk mid-week, which I was convinced was a product of my lack of exercise.  Lack of exercise leads to stress leads to lowered immune system... you get the idea.  Week 3 rolls around and now I can run and bike, with limits of course, and I get to choose my workouts.  So I do, only now I can't.  I can't seem to get my legs moving under me in any manner that feels like running.  I feel like Phoebe in the episode of Friends running through Central Park.  Completely uncoordinated.  Disconnected.  Only I'm not having fun like Phoebe was.  And I'm sure everyone driving by can see my fat rolls through my tank top.

The only redeeming moment of the week was my annual 10k swim which was a blast.  I (once again) managed to convince several friends that swimming 10k would be a good idea.  My coach wrote the 100 x 100 meter swim workout and we tackled it with gusto.

BIRTHDAY 100 x 100 :)
10 easy peasy warm up @ 1:45
10 swim 25 sprint-75 easy @ 1:40
30 swim as 3 @ 1:45/ 2@1:40/ 1 @ 1:35
3 easy kick with board @ 10 rest.
10 x 100 alternating 1 IM/ 1 easy free @ 2:00 (or 1;50 if you can make it)
30 PBB @ 1:35, descend 1-5. every 5th one fast-send times please!
5 swim with paddles as 25 fast/ 50 easy FR/ 25 easy BK @:10 rest.
2 easy kick w/board @ 10 rest.

I can say the lifeguard did not have to rescue me on the IM set.  But I can't say I descended the PBB set very well.  I did manage to hold 1:30s and knock off a few seconds for each of the fast ones.  Of course we followed the swim with cinnamon rolls and a huge breakfast... or at least I did.

I'm trying not to complain when I log my "workouts".  I'm trying not to beat myself up too badly because I can't seem to do anything that even resembles running or biking.  Everyone keeps telling me this is 'normal' and 'good for me' and 'everyone feels this way during off season'.  But I don't like it one bit.  I want to feel smashed after a hard workout, not after spinning at 14 mph on flat ground.  I want to feel worn out after running Pass Mountain, not after an hour on the lower trails.

This week I'm back on a plan dictated by my coach and slowly I'm starting to feel more like myself.  I even had a moment where I thought, wow, it would be nice to sleep in today.  When I'm in training, it is very routine and I don't even blink at a 4 am wake up call.  But when I have gotten lazy, and used to sleeping till 6, and it's dark and cold in the morning... it is a little more difficult to pull myself out of bed.  I couldn't help but think I squandered my off season by doing too much.  Maybe I should have done *gulp* even less?

But it's too late now.  2015 awaits and I have much work to do.  Come January 1, I would like to be feeling strong and confident again.  I might embarrass myself at my birthday half marathon this weekend, but if I redeem myself at Oceanside, it's all good.  I think an off season would be much more enjoyable in, say, June or August.  When no one in the valley is too keen on running a marathon, or training endless hours outside.  Maybe if I achieve my goal in May, I'll take a better off season then.

Then again...  maybe not.    

Recovery

I am gaining a whole new perspective on what it means to recover, and what is important for recovery.  When I was self coached (aka:  my entire life up until Jan 1, 2014), I read a lot of triathlon magazines, and scoured websites for information.  It seemed that every training plan cycled through various stages of training.  3 weeks building, one week recovery.  2 weeks build, 1 week recovery.  Something of the sort.  I've never been one to take an entire day off as I feel like a bear (and probably act like one!) without some type of endorphin fix, even it it's just from an easy swim.  But I religiously followed the 3 on, 1 off for years without much thought, because I didn't know any better.

By the middle of recovery week I always felt a little sluggish, a little sleepy, a little not so zippy.  I chalked it up to my body needing to rest and it was telling me I needed all the easy days and sleeping in for improvement.  Eventually the recovery week would be up,  I'd start training again and within a few days I felt "normal" again.

Since January 1, I have had one day of complete rest because I was stuck in an airport all day waiting to fly home from visiting family.  Other than that, I've been getting up early to pound the pavement before work with only an occasional recovery session thrown in.  One day I had an easy trainer ride.  One day it was a long swim with lots of pull buoy/ paddle sets to minimize leg work.  Instead of being beaten up, I find that I am making progress in leaps and bounds.

The day after my easy trainer ride I had a trail run on my schedule.  The crew I run with is a bunch of ultrarunners training for hundred milers so our usual 9 mile trail run is nothing to them.  They zip up and around the park at what I consider "race pace".  Sometimes I can hang with them, other times I am completely left in the dust.  I remember thinking 'this is not going to be pretty' because I had been hammering myself for several weeks on end.  The easy trainer day was my first real recovery day.  And when I hit the trails that next morning I felt FANTASTIC!  Better than I'd felt in months on the trails.  I ran so effortlessly and felt like I could have run for days.  I was like, WTF!?  How is this possible?

Turns out that little bit of rest allowed my body to absorb all the work I'd been doing over the previous weeks and was just enough to make me feel rested and recovered.  Who knew?  I don't need a whole week of recovery, but I do need the right amount of recovery mixed in with taking care of myself every day.

What else is important for recovery?

I've become a foam-rolling fanatic.  I have a foam roller.  I know I should use it every day.  Previously I would use it when injured, or during PT sessions.  Now, I use it every single day.  After every bike or run workout.  I roll out the glutes, IT bands, quads, calves, hamstrings.  Every.  Thing.  And every week when I report to Endurance Rehab, my PT asks me how I'm holding up... and I answer honestly... I feel great!

I am a sleep-o-holic.  When my head hits the pillow (or sometimes the sofa cushion) I am out like a light.  I sleep like the dead.  I rarely wake up to pee in the middle of the night anymore.  I no longer lie awake with stupid songs running through my head.  I am OUT.  And I feel sorry for my husband if he tries to talk to me after I've already crawled between the sheets.  Sometimes he will startle me and I do one of those whole body jerks before falling immediately back to sleep.  Sometimes I mumble incoherently... which, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure is how my older sister used to get me to let her borrow clothes when we were younger.  She used to claim I "told her last night" that it was OK for her to wear said article of clothing.  I'm beginning to see things much more clearly now...  Anyway, I digress....

I eat.  All. The. Time.  90% super healthy.  10% anything that's not nailed down.  I try to end all my workouts with a good protein shake.  If I'm at home I mix up a wonderful concoction in my Vitamix.  Kale and peaches.  Spinach with cherries.  Kale, beets with orange.  Add in a little rice milk to thin it out and a good scoop of Vega protein powder and I'm good to go.  If I'm not home, the protein powder gets mixed with water and is not quite as fun, but still effective.  We love homemade pizza.  Like three times a week love.  And I am addicted to Roasted Vegetable Romesco Sandwiches from Isa Does It.   Normally the recipe makes enough for 3 sandwiches (in my household, maybe more for a "normal" family).  This week I roasted 2 heads of cauliflower and 3 zucchini and had enough for plenty of leftovers.  When the bread starts to get a little bit stale, I just eat them open faced instead.  Seriously.  Best recipe ever.

I have my first race of the season this weekend and am ready to put my training to the test!  Today was my last hard workout of the week and now I've got 3 days of easy getting ready for Sunday.  This is by no means an "A" race, but it'll be fun to blow out the legs a bit and see what happens.  Everyone on Team HPB has been winning, and PR-ing, and I'm a little nervous that the announcement on the Team's FB page Monday will be "RunnerChick ran a half marathon yesterday and finished."  I have a good feeling about it so let's hope the chips fall into place!

Happy Training!      

Endorphin High

There is nothing I love/ hate more than a good track workout.  For some reason, it's always the last element of training that I add back into my program, and the first thing to go when I head into taper or off season.  And the irony of it all is that nothing makes me feel as alive as a good track workout.  Not tempo.  Not a long run.  It's all about the track.

After an extended off season this winter, I was having a hard time getting back into training.  Specifically anything particularly difficult or challenging.  I tried a few tempo runs, which were *OK* but nothing spectacular.  One day, I told myself I was going to go to the track, but when I woke up the morning of my scheduled re-introduction to the track, I just couldn't go.  I felt sluggish and slow.  I hit the canal instead and did a fartlek workout.  Kind of a cheaters speed workout. 

Finally, I made the commitment 5 weeks ago.  I'm just going to go and see what happens, I told myself.  And so I did.  And it went really well.  I wasn't so slow after all.  So the next week I convinced a friend of mine to join me at the track.  (Good luck with that, BTW.  Convincing someone else to get out of bed at 4:30 am to run intervals.  Most people smile, nod, and say "no thanks!")  He showed up and suffered through some tough intervals, and surprisingly the next week... he showed up again.  So we've gotten into the routine of meeting after our warm up to knock out a few intervals.  He usually acts as my pacer unless I'm particularly rested. 

Last night I got the weekly text message, Track tomorrow?  To which I responded less than enthusiastically, Yes. 

I've been doing maybe a bit too much lately.  A 20 mile long run followed by a 5k 9 days ago, followed by a hard track workout.  A sprint triathlon 2 days ago, followed by a mid-distance bike ride.  My legs just weren't feeling the speed.  But my training partner was holding me accountable. 

I woke up this morning, and for a brief moment I thought about checking my phone to see if maybe *maybe* he was going to cancel on me.  I decided not to look, which was a darn good thing cause he totally bailed on me this morning.  Had I checked my phone, I know I would have gone back to sleep, or just gone for a normal run- minus the speed work. 

Instead I got ready, and headed out the door for my 3 mile warm up.  As I entered the parking lot outside the track, I noticed there were no cars waiting.  I was going to be running this one solo.  I decided to use this opportunity to run some longer intervals.  I had planned a 2 x 1600, 2 x 800.  I made the decision to run 3 x 1600 instead since no one else would have to suffer through this besides me.  My 1600s have been a little lacking the last few weeks so I wanted to push myself and see what I could do. 

I finished the first interval a little slow, 7:06.  But my first interval is always slow.  I told myself that if that's the best I could do today, I'd take it.  Next interval I hit 6:52 and I felt fantastic.  I wanted more of the endorphins that were streaming through my blood vessels.  Next interval, 6:45.  Give me more!  In my recovery after the 3rd 1600 I did a little math in my head quick.  I could either run 5 extra easy laps on the track before I started my cool down home, or I could run a 4th interval and then only run 1 lap before I headed for home. 

It was a no brainer.  I hit my 4th and final interval in 6:52, cruised an easy lap and then hit the pavement for home feeling high as a kite.  I find it ironic how much I fear that first painful interval every single week, but then how amazing I feel afterwards.  Why is it not the amazing feeling that I remember?  One day I'll figure that out.  In the meantime, I'm going to just sit back and enjoy my endorphins. 

Back in the Game

Since my last post, I've taken measures to get healthy again and am happy to report that I feel *normal* again.  I saw my doctor and had some bloodwork done- all normal other than a borderline vitamin D level.  Proof that it's not summer yet here in the Valley of the Sun.  I picked up a supplement at Sprouts and have been taking that daily along with my multivitamin. 

I've been able to get back into training and have felt great.  I am making sure to drink my Ultragen recovery shake after all my workouts, unless I'm just doing an easy swim, so I know I'm getting all the amino acids, vitamins and calcium needed for rebuilding. 

A few highlights of my re-entry into the land of the living:
-Successful 21 mile long run.  I wasn't fast, but I made it!  Just the week prior, I tried to run 12 and had to stop at 6 miles.  And to top it off, I got a new running buddy out of the deal.  My friend MK joined me for the second half- a good run for her coming off of a recent stress fracture. 
-In an 80 mile long bike ride, I wasn't feeling well about 2 hours into the ride.  Just sort of foggy and weak.  I didn't think I was going to be able to make it back to the house if I kept going.  My husband convinced me to give it some time, reminding me that usually that feeling will subside.  I kept going, within a half hour I started to feel better and the last 90 minutes of my ride I finished the strongest ride I've had since before IM AZ. 
-I did my first track workout in months... and crushed it!  My 800 meter repeats were a solid 3:13. 
-I've increased my base swim workouts each week to 5k.  Texas, my first IM of 2013, is a non-wetsuit swim.  This means I won't have the extra flotation assistance in the water and I'm likely to feel a little more fatigued, and be a little slower than usual.  When I hop in for the 4k that morning in May, I want it to feel easy. 
-I learned a new exercise at rehab and LOVE it!  I've been doing burpees for the last 6 weeks.  This week I went in and my therapist had me do the burpees using a TRX.  I'll try to capture a video of this to share, but if you can imagine... one foot is suspended in the TRX (so I am balanced on one leg).  I drop down to the floor in plank position, do a push-up, then pop back up to standing and immediately hop straight up in the air - still one legged.  It was a fun way to change up the burpee and challenge my core strength a little more.  He mentioned that next week, I will have a bunch of new exercises.  *keeping fingers crossed that my hand walking on incline treadmill while holding plank position exercise will be replaced*  ;-)

This weekend I'm running a half marathon with a couple of girlfriends.  It'll be my first test of speed mixed with endurance.  I'm looking forward to it and hopefully it'll prove to me that I'm ready for Boston despite my setbacks in January. 

I've also signed up for an online class, free through my public library, on the fundamentals of accounting.  I decided that if I'm going to be tracking some of the financials for our new business, I better know what I'm doing.  Having taken only the first lesson, and being completely lost, it was a good reminder to me of how much we like to do things that are within our comfort zones.  It's easy to do things that we are good at, or practiced at.  It's not easy to step outside that comfort zone and try something new.  But I'm learning and with time, and practice, I might be good at it.  And if I never get good at accounting, that's OK.  I'm still proud of myself for trying.  I remember a time when cooking was outside of my comfort zone.  And running!  And now I can't imagine a day or week going by without them. 

Spring is finally in the air, and race season is just around the corner.  With Boston 45 days away, I am finally excited about the new year and everything we've got going on.  Though I have to admit, I'm already scoping out things I'd like to do for 2014 when I don't have to focus on Ironman...  Oceanside is top of my list- favorite. race. ever.  And my lil' sis and I are going to do back to back marathons in Utah and Idaho, a good way for her to check off 2 states in her 50-states quest.  And I'm going back to Tahoe for the 50 miler.  For sure.  Then I think I'll let my husband talk me into IM Wisconsin.... you get the idea. 
 

Ironman Arizona 2012

By now, most of you know my results, so I'll skip the drama:

Swim:  1:01:18
T1:  3:49
Bike:  5:29:51
T2:  1:49
Run:  4:17:43

Total:  10:54:30

A personal best at the Ironman distance by over an hour.  The 5th place girl in my age group crossed the line in 10:45:30.  I was exactly 9 minutes behind her.  In 6th.  Obviously I fell short of my ultimate goal (podium!) but I am so beyond thrilled with my race. 

Was it a perfect day?  Absolutely not.  But did I execute perfectly?  Absolutely.

So here's how it all went down...

I slept well on Saturday night until about 1 am and then sleep was fitful.  Leading up to this race I had been practicing visualization for months.  And my visualization always started with "I wake up feeling rested".  I didn't feel tired, mostly because my adrenals were kicking out adrenaline like I was about to enter a war zone.  I went through my normal routine, very calmly and relaxed, just like I had practiced over and over in my mind.  For the first time ever, it was my husband who seemed the more frantic one of the two of us.

We made our way down to transition.  Pumped our tires, set up our bottles on the bikes, walked through transition to feel the flow, and located our gear bags one last time.  We went for a short jog and got suited up in our wetsuits.  The whole time, I felt very in control and calm.  Not that I wasn't nervous as heck, but I had practiced this routine so many times that it went smoothly.  The only thing I forgot was my bottle of Ensure I wanted to drink before the swim.  Lucky for me, my husband had an extra gel so I swallowed that instead.

At the swim start, we stood on the wall next to the buoy until after the pro start and then we hopped in the water to claim our space on the front line.  The final song we would hear before the cannon began to play.  Titanium.  I couldn't have picked a better song.  

I'm bulletproof.  Nothing to lose.  Fire away.  Fire away.  Ricochet.  Take your aim.  You shoot me down.  But I won't fall.  I am titanium. 

Floating in the water amidst a sea of swimmers, I told myself two things.  "You belong here."  And, "You have to get through 5 minutes."  I hate, hate, hate the swim start.  It is the one thing that I have anxiety about.  I hate getting kicked and punched, and feeling like I'm going to drown.  It's the only time I've ever had a panic attack (IM #2).  I just dread it, even though I am a strong swimmer. 

This year, in my visualization, I practiced being calm and swimming strong.  I told myself that I belong on the front line.  I need to survive the first 5 minutes of chaos in the water, and then generally the crowds have thinned and I can swim comfortably.  Those key words, I belong here, worked wonders in my head.  I refused to be intimidated.  I can hang with any of those guys.  You will not push me off the front line, where I belong.

When the cannon went off, we took off and I put my head down and just focused on swimming strongly and forcefully amidst the arms and legs.  I was pleasantly surprised when after no more than 2 minutes, I was without company.  No one to beat me up.  No one to drown me with their limb that weighs as much as me.  I was free.  And free to swim my race.  And so I did.

I felt like the buoys were flying by.  Before I knew it I was at the end of the lake making the turn for home.  And I was picking people off left and right.  Everyone who had gone out harder than their capability was now falling back.  And I was bulletproof.  My cadence was high and I felt great.  I never once tired.  My shoulders didn't get sore.  I was flying through the water.  And loving every minute of it.

As I approached the bleachers, a volunteer reached down and pulled me up onto the stairs.  I let out a little "whoop!" when I saw the clock read 1:01.  Another set of volunteers whipped my wetsuit off me and I was running through transition, on a mission.  I grabbed my gear bag and headed into the change tent.  The volunteer in the change tent was a friend of mine.  She said, "I'm gonna let you do your thing and when you're done I'll package up your swim stuff for you."  She was so calm, and her voice was very reassuring.  There was no pressure.  I secured my helmet and sunglasses, threw my feet into my bike shoes and I was out of there.  Fastest T1 ever.

Swim:  1:01:18,  1st place AG, 10th Female Overall.

I flew through the racks, located my bike, and quickly E'ly and I were out onto the bike course.  I was totally out of breath and tried to settle into a comfortable pace, relaxing as I went.

The first loop of the bike, we had a little tiny head wind on the way up the beeline which turned into an amazing tail wind on the way back down.  I felt awesome the first loop, so strong.  At the turn around point (roughly mile 19) I heard my husband yell for me.  He must have been about a mile behind me.  I hauled ass back to town at about 32 mph.  I cruised through the first loop about 5 minutes faster than scheduled.

The second loop, I started to get a little worried because I hadn't seen my husband pass me yet.  By my calculations, he should have caught me by mile 38 but there was no sign of him.  Add to that the wrecks that I kept passing on course and I was getting a little freaked out.  Each time I'd look at the bike of the down cyclist to make sure it wasn't his Felt, and breathe a small sigh of relief and a quick prayer that whoever it was would be OK.  On the way up the Beeline the second time, my adductors began to cramp a little bit.  My husband finally passed me just past 50 miles, and yelled for me to increase my cadence.  I had been distracted by my leg cramps and wasn't paying attention to my form.  I dropped a couple of gears and spun  a little faster.  I also slowed a little to take in more fluids and electrolytes.  The winds changed, and at this point there wasn't a significant tail wind in either direction, which means I felt like I had a head wind in both directions.  I was only able to push 22-25 down the hill back into town.  I finished my second loop 10 minutes slower, which put me right on target pace.

Thankfully, my cramps resolved with the fluids I was able to take in and I felt fantastic again on the third loop.  I felt strong and was flying by cyclists who were only on their second loop.  One thing I noticed about biking at the front of the pack (as opposed to mid-pack where I usually am) was that I had so much open road to myself!  I got passed a couple of times by packs (cheaters!!!), but for the most part I was biking alone the entire day.  The people I passed were significantly slower than me so other than the actual pass, there wasn't much interaction.  And the people that passed me were significantly faster, so again- riding solo.  I was watching my time and I knew that I could break 5:30 if I didn't let up.  I felt so strong that I just put the hammer down and went as hard as I could through town.

I got off the bike in 5:29:51, 4th in my age group. 

The volunteer grabbed my bike at the dismount line and I flew through the gear bags, grabbing mine from another volunteer and then back into the change tent.  I got into my socks and shoes, tossed my helmet aside.  Grabbed my visor and Amphipod belt and was gone.  1 minute 49 seconds.  Fastest T2 ever!!

Out on the run course, I was moving fast but my legs felt like jell-o.  This feeling is pretty normal and I figured it would shake out in a couple of miles.  I tend to go light on calories on the bike because if I come off the bike over-full, I run into stomach problems like bloating and cramping.  However, I am lucky to be able to eat whatever I want on the run so if I come off underfed, I can usually catch up pretty quickly once I start running.  Having taken in only 800 calories on the bike, I started sipping my Cytomax after the first mile or so.  I was really surprised to be passing people in the first mile who were walking.  I thought only mid and back packers walked during the marathon.  Here I was, at the relative front of the women's age group race and I was passing dozens of men who were walking! 

I felt really good through about mile 5 or 6 and then it was like someone flipped a switch.  I passed my cheerleader (JA) at mile 5 roughly looking great, smiling and waving, and then 1 1/2 miles later I looked like death warmed over.  Running, but feeling like I was crawling.  She screamed at me and told me to get moving.  I was running along when all of a sudden, my throat filled with fluid.  I guess technically it was more regurgitation, not vomit, since there was no warning and no abdominal contraction.  But either way, I stopped to throw it up on the side of the road before I kept running. 

I felt better, but I felt pretty weak.  I knew I needed more calories than my Cytomax was providing.  My legs just felt all wobbly.  I ran through Tempe Beach Park to start my second loop and handed my Amphipod belt off at my TriScottsdale team tent.  At the next aid station I looked for something that I thought would do the trick.  I grabbed a coke and then a volunteer said the magic words.  "Potato chips!"  Yes, that's exactly what I need.  Potato chips.  I grabbed the cup that was offered and slowed to a walk while I consumed my salty snack.  It was like a gift from God.  Instantly my legs felt better.  Not just better.  Amazing.  Strong.  Steady. 

I made my way through loop two, being careful to walk through the aid stations to take in the calories and salt I needed to stay on top.  It's easy to be on top, but if you don't watch it, you can slip right back off in a matter of moments.  The miles ticked by and I literally counted them down, one by one.  Never once did I run a mile slower than 10:50 (and that was the mile I stopped to pee).  And never once did I walk outside of an aid station.  Starting the third loop I was feeling great and was picking up my pace.  I kept hearing people shouting my name and giving me my key words (from my previous blog).  It was amazing to have so much support out on the course. 

Making my way past Tempe Beach Park for the final 5 miles, I knew I was going to break 11 hours if I could maintain my pace.  I thought I'd be emotional and weepy, achieving such a huge PR.  But honestly, I worked so hard in training, I had already visualized this and practiced this so many times before, I expected to break 11 hours.  Plus I was so focused, and physically exhausted at this point that I don't think tears would have even been possible.  I was flying by people.  Most everyone I was passing was in either their first or second loop.  Many, many people were walking.  Running a 10 minute pace I literally felt like I was flying.  It was an amazing sense of accomplishment to feel this good and to be running this well after nearly 140 miles. 

Coming into the park for the final time, I wanted to be able to celebrate and enjoy my time in the finish chute.  I asked a friend if there were any women behind me (I didn't want to have to sprint to the finish!) and he assured me that I was alone.  I felt like I was sprinting when in reality it was probably about a 9 minute pace.  I looked at the clock and saw it roll to 10:54.  I put my arms in the air and I smiled for the camera. 

10:54:30.  Mission accomplished.

What I absolutely loved about this race experience is that I felt so prepared for everything that I encountered.  Nothing was a surprise to me- none of the hardships, and none of the good times.  I truly felt like I had been through every possible circumstance in training and when things came up, I knew exactly what I needed to do.  Cramps on the bike?  Been there.  Weak legs?  Dealt with that.  Delicate balance of staying on top of calories without overloading?  Hello?  Trained through that.  Week in and week out.  I trained through every possible circumstance.  And when they presented themselves on race day, I dealt with them and it never phased me.  Not once. 

Would I have liked to have felt perfect all day?  Of course!  I don't know if that will ever happen.  A small part of me believes that if it does, I probably wasn't racing hard enough.  I love knowing that I paid so close attention to my body in training that I can know instantly what it's telling me.  In that second loop of the bike, when my legs were cramping, I had started to think "oh well, my goal was really a stretch anyway.  I never really thought I could go that fast."  But before the thought even fully materialized in my mind, I recognized that I had started to feel sorry for myself.  And I know from training that when I start to feel sorry for myself I am low on blood sugar.  It's odd, I know, but it's my minds way of saying "feed me!".  And all I have to do is eat and I am back to my usual I'm-gonna-win-this-bitch-or-die-trying self.  And that's just one example.  Over 11 hours, there were plenty of moments for me to listen to my body and respond, rather than ignore it or not even notice it at all.     

I'm also excited because I still have so much room for improvement.  Which means that my goal of making the podium is not dead.  I merely have to do more work in training.  I can still bike faster, and I can definitely run faster.  That's exciting. 

I'd like to give a big THANKS to all of the volunteers out on course.  Without the volunteers, we would not be able to do what we do during the race.  Having been on both sides of the table, I can honestly say that it is much harder to be a volunteer than to be a participant.  The volunteers are often out there before we arrive in transition, and are still there when I'm packed up and heading back to the hotel.  So, thanks.  You are much appreciated. 

The hardest part of recovery, is recovering.  I am so excited to get back out there, but I know my body needs time to heal.  I feel really good.  I'm not sore or tired.  I am ready to put my head down and work hard.  Again.  For the next time around. 

Destined for fastness

I just got my bib number for Ironman Arizona. 

757

It's fate, right?  I'm destined to go fast.  I texted everyone I knew with my bib number.  Everyone agreed it sounded superfast.  My cousin even pointed out that "those planes are trans-pacific, you know."  (Though I will not personally speak of this out loud.)  I know, right?  Super.  F*#king.  Fast. 

After feeling the building fatigue for the last couple of weeks, I was beginning to doubt myself.  But just when I needed it most, I had a spectacular day of training on Sunday.  We did our usual "hilly" long ride route and knocked out 100 miles in what felt like no time at all.  I felt tired, but strong, and mentally focused all day.  Off the bike, I ran a 5 mile progressive transition run,  meaning each mile was faster than the previous one.  I started off a little slow like usual (9:30ish), but my final 3 miles were under Boston pace (sub 8:20).  That's the pace I use to judge my efforts by when looking at long runs, transition runs or other non-speedwork efforts. 

Monday started the final recovery week of the training cycle.  After 3 days, I'm feeling rested and refreshed.  I still have a little muscle soreness after my core workout yesterday (which I'm loving by the way!  Thanks Endurance Rehab!!).  I've been sticking with the tenant that less is more, and better none at all than a little too much during recovery. 

Next week starts the final push toward race day.  We are 5 1/2 weeks out right now.  2 weeks of solid effort, 3 weeks of gradual taper.  I am so ready. 

757

 Bring it on. 

The Case Against the Off Season

Does anyone else have this problem?  You're training.  Everything is rolling along smoothly.  You've got the 4:30 am wake up call so ingrained in your brain that you don't even need to set the alarm anymore.  You're efficient.  Training gets done.  You make it to work on time with coffee in hand.  You're productive at work.  You go home at the end of the day, make a fabulous meal to feed your family, and relax before bed at 7:30 pm.  You nail all the events laid out in your plan for the season.   

And then you take a recovery period. 

You sleep in a little here and there.  You have days completely off of training.  (For those like me who find this difficult to comprehend.. it does actually happen to some people!  You actually do nothing for an entire 24 hours outside of normal work/ eating/ sleeping.)  You don't follow a schedule, but rather just do what you feel like doing.  (Take a minute to absorb that...)

And suddenly, everything is out of whack. 

You don't sleep well (because you've screwed up your body clock).  You gain weight.  You're lethargic at work due to lack of endorphins in your bloodstream and no amount of caffeine seems to help combat this.  You are completely uninspired to cook, clean or even bother to watch whatever crap is on television in the hour before bed.  You can't fall asleep without herbal sleepytime tea. 

The remedy?  Don't take an off season. 

I've decided it's useless.  I'm in a crappy mood.  I don't get out of bed at 4:30 am, but then I lay there awake for 2 hours until I have to get ready for work.  I bark orders around the house and am annoyed by every little thing.  And then to top it all off, I'm supposed to start marathon training this week and I absolutely can't figure out how I'm going to squeeze everything in to my day (I'm supposed to run how far in the morning before work???) despite evidence from the last 5 years that I can, in fact, fit everything in, and feel amazingly better when I do! 

So while I stare blankly at my training log as if it's written in Chinese, I can only sigh and remind myself that next week begins my fall season which is packed with completely amazing events every weekend through, well, February.  I so look forward to this time of year and I know it will give me the motivation I need to kick it in gear.  I've got sprint triathlons, trail races, half marathons, a 5k (which you ALL should be doing... http://www.run4sal.com/), a 10k birthday swim, a 60 mile walk for cancer research (Please donate!!  www.the3day.org/goto/heatherp), a marathon, a 50k, and a trip across the Grand Canyon.  Not in any specific order.  One of the (many) joys of living in Arizona is that our year is backwards from everyone else.  We start living in September so that by May we are ready to return to the hibernative caverns filled with a little necessity called:  air conditioning. 

So as summer turns to fall, my mind and my heart are ready to get back out there and see what I'm made of.  This little break has gone on long enough (dang near 8 weeks!)  Fall will be filled with flowing reports of fun, family, and a little dirt from the trails to keep you entertained.