I Tri 4 You

Yesterday was a crappy training day.  It began with Abigail (one of my cats) waking me and MLH up at 3 am in the morning.  MLH was able to go back to sleep but I couldn’t.  Instead I tossed and turned, thought of a gazillion things, listened to the rain and managed to get myself into a bad mood.  MLH woke up at 4:30 am to go to the gym.  I decided to try to get more sleep.  I was somewhat successful but I really don’t know for how long.  When I finally dragged myself out of bed I instantly felt bad.  I felt bad for not having the will to go to the gym as originally planned.  I felt bad that I wasn’t supporting MLH on his workout this morning.  I felt bad that I was in a bad mood.  I felt bad that I actually questioned working out.

All yesterday morning I did not feel like training.  I was mentally and physically tired and a little anxious that I may have overworked my body already.  However around 1:30 pm I managed to get myself (bad mood and all) to the gym.  I still didn’t feel like training but several thoughts helped me go through the motions of getting me there and completing the day’s plan:

• I paid a coach for today’s workout.  Sunk costs or not, skipping it for no good reason is pathetic.
• Missing a workout because I don’t feel like it could be the start of a slippery slope.  What excuse will I use next time?  And of course there will be a next time.  There always is.
• I know I’ll feel even worse later if I don’t at least try to complete my workout.
• And Noah.

I had to bike and do weights.  (Until the tenderness in my injured ankle goes away, I’ll bike and run indoors where the chances of losing my balance and falling are a lot lower.)  My bike ride sucked.  I felt tired practically from the beginning – yes that’s just the warm up!  And I had the hardest time with my drills.  Everything on my ride felt like a chore.  My legs felt heavy.  I couldn’t synch up my brain with my legs and my attitude.  When I tried to push myself, I felt constrained.  I did complete the entire ride though.  Weights were not nearly as bad but I think I was on cruise control by then and simply counting reps and sets.

As I walked back home I managed to feel a little better.  I was frustrated that I had a crappy training session but I was also trying to tell myself to be satisfied that I completed it and move on.  By dinner time I was less frustrated and more satisfied.  I was also looking forward to today.

Today was so much better.  This morning I was more than ready to workout. I even got out of bed a little before 4:30 am.  I not only wanted to have a great workout but also felt the need to make up for yesterday’s crappy one.  MLH and I made our way to the gym.  Although my mood was very different this morning I was still concerned that I may have another crappy session, especially if in fact I did push myself too much over the past 1.5 weeks.

I had to swim and then bike.  I made my way to the pool.  During my first lap I already knew today would be better.  I didn’t feel tired at all.  I worked on a couple of new drills.  One was really hard; I still don’t think I fully got the hang of it.  My main swim was challenging because I continue to struggle with improving my Distance Per Stroke (DPS).  However I was never frustrated.  I just kept working on it.  I kept trying to think about what I should tweak or focus on to improve my next set.  I wasn’t even bothered by the woman who entered my lane without any notice and almost collided into me.  I just moved over and kept swimming.  While I didn’t have anything close to a perfect swim session, I’m pleased with it.

On the bike, my legs, brain and attitude were much more in synch today than yesterday.  I noticed the difference immediately.  Today’s ride was easier than yesterday’s.  (Tomorrow I have my long ride for the week.)  It doesn’t matter, though, because I feel like I put in a solid workout.

I’m thankful I had a good training day today.  Oddly part of the reason I appreciate it is because of yesterday.  I know I’ll have more crappy days and even ones that are far worse than yesterday.  Hopefully I’ll remind myself of yesterday and today so I realize the crappy day won’t last.