I am tired but I think I have found my motivation

Recently, training has some good and some bad.

On a good note, I am enjoying cycling. This weekend saw a 112 km ride. This is my longest ever. I actually enjoyed it. Not until the 3:45 mark did I find myself in the least bit fatigued. Shortly after finishing I felt like I had done nothing at all. Cycling is good.

Yesterday I had a very good open water swim. I really focused on staying long and easy with my stroke. When swimming I have a tendency to start too fast, drive my heart rate too high, become uneasy in the water, and then get defeated mentally. Yesterday I worked hard to simply relax and keep swimming. If I found the stress level rising I simply kicked back to a very easy pace and relaxed. It worked. And, with a weekly long open water swim I feel confident that Ironman will go well (Frank Dunn in August will be a good test, too).

On a funny note I reached one of the buoys in the Pike Lake swimming area and had a freak out moment. Looking down into the murky depths I saw a severed human hand. I came up for air and then looked again. This time it had become a severed human foot. Aaahhh! I was about to call for help when I popped up to see Mark looking at me, “Hi Dave.” He was swimming in his wetsuit and the water at Pike Lake is so thick that all I could see were his pink extremities. We had a nice chat. Panic averted. No corpse after all.

The bad news is that my overwhelming impression of my training is … overwhelming. I feel tired and I am having a ton of trouble staying highly motivated. Interestingly, it’s running that has become the hardest of the disciplines for me.

As the volume of training has increased I am finding it increasingly difficult to find the willpower for hard intervals. If it was simply a matter of volume, I would be happily out there on some long training days taking it easy and enjoying the scenery. Where I suffer a lack of strength is where it’s volume AND intensity. I am hoping, however, that as of this writing that my strength is returning.

Saturday’s run was supposed to my 90 minutes at 4:55/km (this was after 4 hours in the saddle). I was good until about the 50 minute mark and then I decided that I had gone far enough. Oof. I started the long walk home. On the walk, though, I found what I hope will be the motivation to see me through the coming weeks.
I am the Learn to Run Coach at Brainsport. It’s my job to motivate thirty-five new runners to make it through an eight week program culminating in a 5 km road race. I remember my first ever 13 week program going from never having run to running 10 km. It was hard but I did it. And, I was proud of myself.  The members of this clinic are getting through something similar now. I am sure that they are finding it hard. And, I am sure that they are getting through it.

Buoyed by their commitment, I started my feet going again and finished up my run. Thank you for the inspiration.

OK… this week will be a good test for me. Time to suck it up and get it done. Ironman is now less than eight weeks away. I need to:

(1)    Get enough sleep;
(2)    Stay positive; and
(3)    Do what I have to do.

I am lucky to have a job that leaves my afternoons free. I am amazed that anyone with a full time job EVER gets through an Ironman. Really, you would have NO life.

This week’s training plan:

MONDAY – 90 minute pool swim, 40 minute easy run.
TUESDAY – 90 minute ride with 2 x 10 minutes HARD, 60 minute run with 2 x 10 minutes HARD.
WEDNESDAY – 60 minute open water swim, 60 minute easy ride.
THURSDAY – Run 10 x 1 km at 4:30 with a 2 minute break at 4:55 in between (this is THE test this week), 60 minute swim with Coach Paul.
FRIDAY – 60 minute strength training, 45 minute swim, 30 minute easy run.
SATURDAY – DAY OF REST.
SUNDAY – 5 hour easy ride, 30 minute run at 4:55/km.