I came to a tough decision this weekend. I’m not racing in Cairns – not the Ironman and not the Half Ironman.
My request for transfer wasn’t denied. I actually withdrew my request on Sunday, so that I didn’t keep that potential spot from another athlete.
Here’s the Deal…
I’ve been trying to push through and make training work for the past few months, but most of the time it’s not going well. I haven’t really written a lot about it, because it’s no fun to complain all the time. And poor Kirk’s been hearing enough of that as it is.
It’s really disappointing…and honestly embarrassing…but at this point it’s realistic. I need a reset.
(source)
I honestly don’t know exactly what’s going on. It may be that I just lost too much during February when I was fighting the effects of being sick, more than I realized, and wasn’t able to keep the pace I needed even for the half ironman. I’m planning to get an appointment for blood work, to rule out anything health related that might be contributing to the problem.
What I do know is that ending over half of your workouts in tears or anger/frustration is not good. So it’s time to do something about it and bring some joy back to my workouts.
So what’s next?
A break from anything swim, bike, and run related for the next month. BUT, I can’t do nothing. I had already planned to shift gears to a strength training focus after the race, so I’m moving up the timeline to now.
Yesterday, I started the Jamie Eason’s LiveFit 12-week Trainer. It’s the only time I’ve ever been okay with no cardio for a month. The structure is something I need right now as I take my mind off missing the race. And I’m excited to see how my body responds to something like this – COMPLETELY different than what I usually do!
I hope that I can resolve whatever is going on and get my mojo back later this year. There are a few late season races that I think would be fun – I can’t imagine another year going by without racing a triathlon myself. But I’m also going to listen to my body and see what is best for me.
