Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Back to Blogland...

I have been a lazy blogger. The good news is I have not been a lazy triathlete- and that is what counts right?
Last week I got my first "A" in a while. Meaning I nailed all my workouts and had a solid week. I finally had a long run at goal pace and swam a strong 6km for the week. I did some great trainer rides and a peppy treadmill speed workout to boot. The final ride on Sunday emptied my tank and I pulled the plug after 90mins of the 2hr workout. I could have probably pushed through, but the quality was done and my heart rate kept getting lower...
Yesterday was a rest day and this is a recovery week which I am happy for. I have to say, this winter has been the toughest training season of my life in terms of motivation. Motivation has come relatively easy in the past- a big goal like Ironman has always had enough of a fear/excitement factor to carry me through the winter training. I took that easy motivation for granted, until now.
This year it has been a struggle. I have had to work hard each day, and often each moment, to stimulate myself to train. I am not a quitter though, and my strength is in my ability to remember the big picture, and do the work even when I don't feel like it.
I remind myself that I want to keep the fitness I have worked hard over the past 5 years to gain. I want to be able to enjoy riding outdoors, running for hours on the trails and racing to my potential. I also know I love to eat, and without training it would be a bad situation :-)
I know that this tough winter slogging is the means to that end. But it hasn't been easy. It is mentally tough to feel such a lack of desire to train. But I always, always feel good once I get going and even better when I am done.
So I will continue to force the motivation, and perservere. One day soon the grey skies will retreat, the sun will shine and this snow will melt. One day soon I'll feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, my pale sheen will turn a golden brown and I'll again feel the wind in my face (it is GP after all) as I ride with scenery that changes.
Until then I'll be in the basement, forcing myself to train.

3 comments:

Eileen Swanson said...

Hi, Oh wow your lab does look like Belle, super cute!! Glad you had a great "A" week, way to go!

Iron Greg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Julie said...

Thanks for candid description regarding the struggles you have faced and overcome this winter -- you have no idea how much it helps to know that I am not alone is facing these challenges!

You have totally rocked this winter's worth of training however. You have overcome illness, fatigue, and lack of motivation again and again. Solid workout this week too -- for the whole winter, I give you an A++!!!

:) :) :)