Last week was a much needed recovery week in my training. I had my first day off from training in three week. It was also my first day back to work after summer vacation. During my recovery week I was still training, but the volume and intensity were much lower. I wasn't really "feeling it" during my workouts. Most workouts felt more like a job than my passion. Where was my spark, my excitement? I figured the combination of fatigue, the heat, and my return to work after summer vacation was to blame.
This week began a new week of training...a nice 14 hour week complete with hill work and 4.5 hour brick. Monday was an off day so it I had no problem staying motivated NOT to workout. I went in to see my chiropractor for some much needed maintenance. Tuesday began with a 30 minute run on the dreadmill and 30 minutes of strength training. I struggled to get through both of them...especially the running. It wasn't a physical struggle. It was a mental one. The mental struggles of this sport are far worse than the physical ones. Tuesday evening consisted of interval training on the bike. That workout wasn't too bad, but I wasn't lovin it. My bike workouts are usually my favorite. This morning I had swim practice and then a 45 minute run after work. The heat made it impossible to get excited about my run today. Even the thought of running in my new running shoes wasn't doing it for me. All I could think about was runnng 45 minutes on the dreadmill tonight and then waking up early tomorrow morning and running on the dreadmill again. (FYI, dreadmill is not a typo.)
For one reason or another, I decided to suck it up and run in the heat tonight. When I walked out the door I was pleasangly suprised to be greated with a nice wind. This wasn't the cursing kind of wind I batteled on my bike during the spring. This was the kind of wind Mother Nature sends to try to make peace with all the people she's been pissing off. She even threw in a few clouds. It actually wasn't too bad outside.
About a mile into my run I found IT...my spark, my excitement. I wasn't running fast, but I was enjoying every step...in my new shoes. Ahhh, it felt good again to run. I was running on the trails that travel east and west through Plano. Other runners and bikers were taking advantage of small break in triple digit temperatures too. Most people on the trail are generally courtious and polite, but tonight everyone seemed extra friendly. The ducks even looked happier than they had in awhile. My 45 minutes were over before I knew it. I would have loved to just keep going, but I'm paying good money for someone to tell me when to train and for how long. Hopfully my 4:30 AM dreadmill run will be just as enjoyable....ok, I know it won't, so I'll settle for tolerable.
Last week's recovery week couldn't have come at a better time. Yes, I was physically in need of it, but the mental break was just as as valueable. I think I've been underestimating the mental endurance required for this sport as well as the importance of mental recovery. My body only needed a week of recovery, but my mind needed a week and half. I think all systems are back on track and ready to take on the rest of the week.
"It ain't about how hard you can hit...it's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." Rocky Balboa
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