Idling

I finally came up with the word to describe my state of mind the past few days. "Idling." I am taking it easy after 4 weeks in a row of heavy duty cycling (when I feel like it I'll actually post on it), and just letting my mind wander and my body rest.

My pool was closed last week, and in my laziness, I only swam once. It is closed this week, too, and I got my stuff all ready to drive somewhere else to swim this morning, but I just didn't feel like getting out of bed. I might swim tomorrow, I might not.

I did run and lift yesterday, and am about to go run today. Whenever it turns to fall, as is rapidly happening now, I find myself needing to make some changes with the seasons. I am undecided whether I will do my solo 1/2 Ironman next week. I probably will, but I am sure enjoying some major rest right now.

It is interesting to me to watch all the hype as Ironman races go on throughout the summer and I am not training for one. It is nice to see people all excited about finally bearing the fruits of their labors at IMCDA, IMLP, IMC and the upcoming IMWI and IMFL. But I am finding for myself that this mental break from Ironman is something I really needed. It is uncomfortable in spots, as I was so used to the hubbub of twice daily workouts and focusing everything on a goal far away, but that discomfort is something I know that I need for my mental and spiritual growth at least once a year.

So for the time being, I am idling. It is sort of like a taper, but I have none of the psychosis that is common to a taper. I am OK with exercising and eating less, and OK that there is not some big, huge production about to happen. Maybe I will regain a bit of excitement when I'm at IMWI next week, maybe not. It will be nice to see my coach in person and get some quality time with him. I think he already knew I was headed for an idle period when he said to me, "You are doing an awful lot of training for someone who is not training for anything." But hey, it's mission accomplished--time to settle down for a few months and recharge the mental and physical batteries. There should be some major fitness settling in here for a few weeks, and all I need to do is maintain it for a few months, and then I will shift gears again and go into marathon training mode.

Every time I do it, whether an actual taper or just a transitional period, I find that idling helps me to consolidate things. You know how when a car idles too fast it means there is a problem with the engine? I think that sometimes I want to idle at higher and higher speeds, but then my self-diagnostics kick in and I realize that that idle needs to be at a consistent level for my own peace of mind.

And boy, have I learned how to idle! I am sleeping a lot, and I am not committing myself to anything I don't need to do. It is uncomfortable mentally, but glorious physically and the mental side will come along in a few days, I am sure! It reminds me that there are many more things I can enjoy besides triathlon. In a way, idle mode is just being in the moment--you are prepared to either rev it up or shut it down completely, but you need to be OK with the idle speed.

I will check in when the RPM's increase. I did have to laugh yesterday when I finally got to the gym and onto the treadmill (albeit with a little bit of hurry in my step), my heart rate read a bounding 51, after literally running to the treadmill. It didn't go up very much even though I ran fairly hard. How nice!

Enjoy your week, whether you are idling or revving your engine!