Getting Used to It

Since my training has been focused on accomplishing a number of things, it's only normal to expect not everything to line up all at once. My strength training has been going well, and since I'm just this week almost to a maintenance (i.e., no increase in overall load), I know that it is impacting s/b/r in various ways. Throw in every 2 weeks races with a 1:30 run afterwards, mix things up with a few group bike workouts to throw off my training/recovery schedule, add in a virus, and it's been quite an experience. Nothing that I didn't expect, though! The whole point of what I'm doing is to make me very strong so that once I kick up the volume in mid-March, my body will be fully prepared for it.

So on that note, last week I had some pretty good bike workouts, although Saturday I wasn't on. Sunday I had a great 1:40 run. Monday I didn't get enough sleep, but still managed to run, which was the thing I needed to do. Yesterday my bike workout sucked--I just had dead legs--but I didn't obsess over it. Today I had a decent swim even though the pool was stinking hot, and then this afternoon I had a really great track workout.

I'm going to lift tonight because I normally start on it on Monday, but work has been in my way, so I'm starting tonight and will do some more tomorrow and perhaps Friday. I should have a good bike workout tomorrow, and then Friday and Saturday are all about a holding pattern before I race again on Sunday.

I am definitely feeling the intensity of everything I'm doing, and I'm only 2 weeks away from the last indoor sprint tri and then my lifting goes into maintenance mode! That's always something I look forward to because it just changes my physiology. My massage therapist commented to me yesterday that he could feel the changes in my muscles from the progressive work I've been doing, and I've also added 500+ yards of swimming with paddles to each workout now, so I'm intentionally putting the hurt to myself.

Periodically I ask myself whether it's worth it to put myself through all of this because right about this time of year, I am very up and down with workout success, but as long as I keep moving in the right direction, which I am, I'm OK with being tired or cranky or a little extra sore. This is the price I pay to have the strength and endurance to do all the crazy shit I like to do starting in May, and that is my definition of big fun!

I suppose that as long as I can race well again on Sunday, it doesn't matter whether I'm "on" for each and every workout, does it?

Hey, it's all good, even the crappy workouts. I won't even remember the crappy workouts. All I will remember is that come May I was out there kicking ass and taking names.