Kona or Bust Week 10 - Some days you have it and some days you don't.

It took 10 weeks for me to get to the the place where heading out the door to train was a chore. 10 weeks in with 10 weeks to go. Ugh.

I woke up Saturday morning, looked out my window and said, "Humpf." A cloudy, 100% chance of rain or t-storm kinda day. I had every intention of getting on my bike, but as I headed out for my morning walk with Pepper my brain started listening to my slowly moving body. 

"Don't, train today..."

"Stay inside and clean your ridiculously messy apartment!"

"Catch up on your weeks and weeks of DVR before you lose last months shows."

"Damn you! Why didn't you take it easier this week after your race! I'm tired!"

It was as if I had the angel and the devil sitting on each shoulder telling be two different things each hoping they would win out. 

As we finished our walk I told Pepper (yes, I talk to my dog. Don't you?) I would eat breakfast, watch one show, then, get ready. One show turn to a movie. Breakfast turned to lunch, and my apartment was progressively getting cleaner and clearer by the hour. My 3:30bike/50min run turned into an 1:45 run with a 50 minutes easy ride to follow. My motivation was waning and it was easier to wrap my head around a 2:30 workout than a 4hr+ workout. By flip flopping my weekend workouts my long ride/run was now waiting for me on Sunday and I was dreading it. 

My ride went about as well as I expected it to go. Slow and labored. I quickly dropped the work sections at intensity and reminded myself this should be fun. I spend the entire 3:30 ride talking myself through it. 

"Relax & enjoy the ride."

"Pedal smooth and steady."

"Make it to this point, then the next, and the next, and you're done!"

"I'm sooooo not running after this, so finish strong."

Needless to say, this weekend's training felt like total crap. I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could rest and enjoy some much needed time with friends. The angel and the devil both won. I trained because I felt like I had to, but I made serious modifications based on how I was feeling. Some days you have it and some days you don't.

It's amazing how far you can push your body, but one day or one workout too many and the rest of the training week will suffer. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have managed this past week's training differently coming off of the race. Do I feel like I'm in a bad place, overtrained, if you will? No, but I could be close. 

It's a fine line you walk when training for an endurance race such as the Ironman. I have the personality and work ethic to push, push, push. The added pressure of going to KONA for my FIRST Ironman doesn't help either. If this process is teaching me anything it is that I need to trust in my training and the benefit behind taking an extra day or workout off. Easier said than done (trust me!). This coming week is a long awaited recover week. I will gladly take the lightened volume and force myself to rest. The coming weeks are going to be HUGE and I need to enter them as fresh and as rested as possible.

I can say with absolute conviction that this weekend would not have happened if I didn't have individuals to lean on or friends representing the very best of what it means to be dedicated to a goal. As the thoughts of not training entered my head I thought of all my incredible Cyclonauts Multisport teammates that started and finished Ironman Lake Placid last weekend in some of the most outrageous weather conditions. I thought of my boss Geoff who was riding in PanMass Challenge, with miles to go and sideways ran coming down. I thought of my Health Coach who has gone off the grid for a week to become a Baptiste Yoga instructor. No cell, no wifi, nothing but you, your thought, and 7 days of intensive yoga!  

Motivation and inspiration comes in all forms and I took it from anywhere I could find it to get a semi-decent weekend of training out of it. Now, I rest!

Speaking of Ironman Lake Placid, I must sent out a huge Congratulations, to all the Nauts who took on the challenge and accomplished their goal of finishing IMLP. It was an incredibly difficult day from all accounts and I am in awe of your efforts and envious that your Ironman venture is in the books. I look forward joining you soon! 

I must also send out a HUGE congratulations to my girl Elena Massa-Musiak for qualifying for the Ironman World Championships for the SECOND time! I now have company in KONA and couldn't be happier! Elena and I were able to tackle over 3/4 of the St. Croix 70.3 run course together where I was lucky enough to qualify for Kona. We both knew that Lake Placid was going to be her chance to join me and I eagerly awaited each update txt message from Placid. Despite the horrible conditions she raced her race and place and incredible 2nd in her age group!  I look forward to OUR journey to the Ironman World Championships and any miles we might be able to spend side by side on the course.

SK