The Dark Side of Training

Coming back from an injury can be a wonderful experience. I was so ready to bike and run again after my knee surgery. I am starting to see the dark side of training now. I have been going at it pretty hard for about 6 months. Building up my endurance of biking, running and swimming, but not following a real plan. Sure, I downloaded a plan for a half ironman to follow. But there is no way to follow that plan. There is so much you have to do. If you have a job and a family (and want to keep them) it's next to impossible. So I resort to just doing as much as I can do, when I can do it. However, the plans usually call for 3 hard buildup weeks followed by 1 week to with less stress to let your body recover. When you don't follow a plan, and do all you can do, you tend to not incorporate that down week. When you do that you become an A**hole. That is what I have become. I am pissed off at everything and everybody right now. I have done too much training and need to rest. Fortunatly no physical injuries, just emotional and mental injuries. Rest is the ticket for me for a few days. Half Ironman is in 4 weeks, so I should be just about over the hump. My max weeks have been the last few and maybe one more, then the taper starts.

I did a 45 mile hard bike ride on Thursday followed by a 2000 meter hard swim on Friday, then a 5 mile tempo run (tempo pace to me is almost as hard as I can go - just below race pace) and a 52 mile bike ride including a climb up Sauratown Mountain on Saturday. The run had me winded before I even started the ride. The ride averaged 16 mph on the way out - I still think something was wrong with my bike. I stopped at mile mile 17 to check to see if the tires were flat or the brakes were sticking - but they weren't. I was just worn out before starting. Interestinlgy enough, the climb up was easy. I climbed Sauratown like it was flat - not sure how that happened after being so tired in making it out there. I averaged just under 19 mph on the way back. Not sore at all today, just incredibly tired. Really strange how I was able to actually get better even though I was worn out. I think that is a good thing physically, but again, I need to recover.

So the dark side of training can be physical - inuries that can prohibit you from cointinuing, but they can also be emotional and mental, such as what I am experiencing now. Hopefully this type of injury is shortlived. A little rest and I hope to be good as new. Only my wife can tell for sure. Sorry I'm such an A**hole, honey. And thanks for putting up with me!