It’s A Long Way to the Top…

It’s been approximately 3.5 weeks since I completed the Ironman. In that time I’ve rested, acquired a lingering head and chest cold, and putzed around with no exercise plan in place. I’ve been congratulated almost everyday I’ve walked into CPC and asked what’s next!? My response has been the same with a shrug of my shoulders a “Who knows look”.

The reality is up until a few days ago I didn’t have an idea of what was next. I didn’t want to give it much thought. My body and brain were not in any rush to start a regular workout routine. I wanted to enjoy going out for a casual run again before I started to think about another race and weeks…months…of training. Throughout my weeks of blogging for Kona I made mention that I couldn’t wait to get back to the place where I once was before I started training for the Ironman. That “place” is the weight room, boot camp, tearing through the woods at 6am on a Saturday morning for ROTC.

I’ve missed that “place” and the camaraderie that you develop when you’re side by side with someone face down after a killer set of burpees, toes to bars, and squat thrusters. Training for an Ironman is lonely. There’s nothing lonely about being yelled at to go faster or to move more weight. However, with the change over of energy systems, movement patterns, and training environments comes a physical state that challenges even the most “fit” individual. I put “fit” into quotations because fitness is  relative. I just completed the Ironman World Championship, arguably one of the most challenging endurance events in the world, but yet I dread stepping back into the world that I’ve missed so much.

Despite the humbling level of soreness, fatigue, and lack of strength that I will experience it’s time to hit the reset button and start getting back on track. I’ve rested long enough. So, the question of what’s next can be simply answered with one word…ROUTINE.

I will be getting back to the weight room, boot camp, all of the other crazy things I do ROUTINELY. I need to work on building back the strength that I sacrificed to be a lean cardiovascular machine, while still trying to maintain a portion of the endurance I built (mental & physical) to pursue future long distance goals. Patience is a virtue and one I will have to instill throughout the next few months.  

I will also get back to routinely blogging every Monday. I enjoyed it even if only a handful of people read my posts. What will I blog about? I’m thinking FOOD! NO, I’m not stealing Mike’s thunder. Everybody sees food and fueling differently so consider my upcoming Monday blogs to be my take on FOOD or anything that relates.   

Change and routine take time. The next few weeks and months will not be an easy transition for me. I feel more like a newbie and relating to my clients more than ever as they start their own journey of change and routine.

Simply put, It’s a Long Way to the Top, but once you reach the figurative TOP you know the time and effort…and inevitable discomfort…will have been worth it!

SK