Triathlon

So a month ago I wrote about my training plans. Since then two things have happened. The first is that I got really sick with something. I don't know what. But I had zero energy and resting didn't help and was incapable of doing most things. I did get check out  by my doctor and everything came back good and I am really healthy just in general. So it was probably just stress and a virus. But I lost almost a week on working out. It happened on a Saturday. And by Thursday I thought enough is enough and started feeling better. I did a walk and yoga and was tired after. The next day I did a short 20 minute swim and almost didn't make it through the day. So it was a bit of a climb back to do what I usually do. In the midst of that I was talking to my therapist and he asked if I was looking forward to anything. And I said no. But I had been wondering about doing the sprint in October I've been planning on most of the year. When I was sick, I realized I didn't want to. I am tired. I'd already decided no more long distance races for the next year so I don't have anything planned after the sprint. I was already planning on a more relaxed year after that. So instead I'll start that early. After the super sprint I have on Saturday I am going to take a break. I want to work on continuing all the sports but in a less urgent way. Maybe 3 runs, 1 swim, 1 bike a week. I want to add on more strength training and gain some muscles. Being stronger would help so much with the cardio sports. So weights and strength training is what I'm looking at for the rest of the year. And next year my A race will be the October sprint and I'll plan on less races for the year to avoid burnout. I need to find the fun again in all of this. I am constantly stressed my life and my husband's condition that I need to find more fun and the fun I had with my workouts. This seems like a good place to start.

Never not training

So 2 years ago I took up running with Couch to 5k and I’ve done quite a few races; 5ks, 10ks, half marathons as well as 3 super sprint triathlons. I have 1 more of the latter next month and then a sprint tri in October and then I am done for the year. It’ll be weird to be done with the race season so early but I made the decision in March that I was done with long distance running for a while. My last 2 half marathons were torturous at best and I realized I preferred mid distance so 10ks mainly. So I may try to pick up one of those. Anyway. My training this year has felt fairly relaxed. I went hard for so long but I gave myself a break for the most part this year. I’ll have to pick it back up for the sprint since that is going to be longer and my first open water swim. I will admit that there is also something lacking in my training. It’s like the challenge has gone out. I’m not motivated to push for longer distance though I have resolved to do a full marathon at least once after my 42nd birthday. So I bought myself 2 years on that. So what do I strive for? I wish I knew the answer. I do know that I refuse to give up. I never want the day to come where someone says “Do you remember the time you were a runner?” I want it to be “Do you remember when you started running and never looked back?”

I do work hard at being injury free. I’ve found that not running back to back days helps. That the swimming and cycling help. One of the things that has been good is adding strength training but that is one of the areas that I need the most guidance and help.  So I guess there is a challenge.

All this training is interesting in a way. I leaned into it hard as a coping mechanism for my husband’s illness. And not to say that I don’t anymore but that I don’t need it quite like that anymore. I escaped into it but now it’s less of an escape and more of a routine. And I am very attached to my routines. That has become more coping strategy these days though not necessarily a good one since flexibility is becoming more important as time moves on. But exercise and time to maintain a healthy body is necessary for a healthy mindset.

(And if anyone is interested, my instagram is primarily sports related if you want to follow along.)

Do or do not. There is no try.

So I have a second super sprint triathlon this coming weekend. If you don't know what that is, triathlons come in different lengths and a super sprint is the shortest they come. So this one is a 200 meter swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run. I've been training for it, probably more than completely necessary but really mostly for the fitness level. I could probably do a sprint pretty easily at this point (1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.11 mile run) but I think I'm going to hold off on that length until next year. Something to strive for and give me a reason to get back to triathlon next year. I'm thinking next year and maybe the year after for sprints and then if I'm still up for it I can go for an Olympic.

When I first started running I did the Couch to 5k thing so the first race I ran was, naturally, a 5k. After that I decided to work my way up the ladder, so to speak. So I got a 10k plan and worked through that and then a 15k plan and worked through that. And what ended up happening was I ran a lot of 2 mile runs. I got a really good at running 2 miles without stopping and honestly I think having that base has helped me in so many ways. Because I know 100% that 2 miles is that not that far. And the 3 miles is just one more beyond that. And I break down a 10k and half marathon the same way. So I'm approaching triathlon in a similar way. I can do a super sprint fairly easily and once I'm good at that then I can move up my distances but with having a decent base to start, it makes it easier for  my mind set.

Once this tri is over, then my triathlon season for the year is over. I had initially planned on doing a sprint in October but the timing is wrong and I'd like to have a bigger goal for next year anyway.  I'm going back to running as my main sport but with at least one bike and one swim a week for cross training and conditioning. Now my goal is to train for speed and endurance for a 10k, the longest race I plan on having for the rest of the year. I'd like to run the 10k without stopping and run it faster than I have been able to go lately. So we'll see. I'm going to pick out a plan and get started on that as soon as this triathlon is over. I'm anxious for some reason to get started on that and get running more.