Training Log No. 9

I feel like I’m so backlogged here! I still haven’t done any writing on the Colorado trip, and ended up recapping last week’s training via a video because I was short on both time and sleep and lately have been trying to let the latter take precedence after years of doing the opposite. Happy to get back into routine in the way that I can when it has felt like a lot of things have been out of my control this week. Jake and Sloane both got super sick with strep throat on Monday and Tuesday and training definitely had to pivot and fall to the wayside as a result. My favorite layman’s definition of humility is ‘people doing the best they can with what they’ve got,’ and that’s really a perfect way to describe how week 8 unfolded.

What went well?

-It would be really easy to nitpick the things that went wrong this week, seemingly one after the other over which I had no control, but honestly a lot of good happened too. I managed another open water swim, which is honestly terrifying. The fish are calf sized and it’s pitch black when we get into the lake. Grateful soon for daylight savings time to give us a bit of a break with it moving forward because I definitely had a few moments of panic in the water on Friday. Despite the spiraling on the first leg, we ended up extending the swim to the 2nd buoy and back which is an open water PR for me (for distance, anyway).

-Not specifically training related, but I was having some hard moments with my mental health this week and just really feeling like I was in a rut. Took a look at the foundational pillars that I had been ignoring (10th step, grat lists, prioritizing sleep) and implemented them back in and felt better almost immediately. Even if nothing changed specifically, I felt like we were back out of self-will and moving in the right direction.

-Saturday’s ride was so fun and joyful. Between the segments and the weather and the stop at my favorite little Italian deli, it was the perfect mix of play and work

-Long run felt solid, besides the knee pain. Had less of a spiral than usual and the pain has already gone away, so I’ll save PT money and put it in the wheel fund.

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Was I resentful, fearful, or overly self-critical during training? 

-Aside from some negative self talk around not getting in any lifts, I’ve really surrendered these past few weeks to the gray. I am letting go of a lot of the rigidity. I think triathlon training helps me be a bit more flexible because of all of the different modalities involved – I think with marathoning, I’m so fixated on a certain mileage for the week, but it feels less important here, at least for now.

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Where did I find joy?

-These Lucky’s lake sunrises are absolutely unbelieavable. It’s terrifying to swim out into the darkness, but you’re awarded with such an incredible view breathing eastside on the way back.

-Saturday’s ride was so nice. Cannoli puffs and great company help to round out some good mixes of effort. Off the bike run brought us to an unexpected trail and a water crossing which felt super fun too, even if it was a really stupid idea in retrospect.

-Some really good yaps at our small group for Sober Sundae

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