Week 22: Is it enough?

Am I enough and am I doing enough??

     

  

      Am I a one-and-done Ironman? Probably not--I'm positive that the one race won't be enough (there's a Cozumel race in my future as long as they still have it).  But about this week....Oh man. That felt like a hard week, although it was a recovery week in my training plan. Had some not-so-good (at the time) workouts, but still got some positives out of them once I was able to reflect a little more.  Here are my weekly stats to start off first....

Weekly Stats:

• Weight:  177.0
• -.4 lbs from last week
• Swim (3x)
• 2.56 miles (4,500 yards)
• 1:30:51
• Bike (3x)
• 59.11 miles
• 3:25:05
• Run (2x)
• 10.67 miles
• 1:50:21
• Strength (1x)
• 37:05
• Yoga (4x)
• 1:34:31
• TOTALS
• 13 workouts
• 72.34 miles
• 8:57:54

    Last week, I mentioned that I really hadn't had any bad weeks.  Guess I sort of jinxed myself.  Julie was still gone at the beginning of the week, and as any good bachelor husband without their spouse at home for a week does, I had to pick up around the house before she got back home.  There really wasn't anything big, just folding clothes and things like that.  So with that, I didn't get to sleep as early as I had been the whole previous week.  Sunday night was a 11:00 bed time which wasn't a huge deal as Monday is my rest day.  I taught a CPR class on Monday evening so that was another late night as I was getting the last of the dishes washed/put away and preparing for my morning swim on Tuesday.  Before I knew it, it was after midnight before the lights went out.  So that was the beginning of feeling exhausted for several days.  But there was a light at the end of that tunnel....

    I did three swims for the week.  On Wednesday I had my swim time trial test to see how much I have improved.  This is a warmup with 400- and 200-yard intervals as fast as I can go for those distances.  I felt good into the first half of the 400-yard set then just got gassed.  Had to stop and catch my breath, then finish it out.  Did a two minute rest then started the 200-yard set.  Got halfway through that one and again, just didn't have anything left.  I felt super defeated. I was supposed to do another 1,000 yards plus a cool down and I just rounded to 1,000 total yards and called it a day. I went to sit in the hot tub and couldn't figure out why I just didn't have it in me that day.  I told Chad I had a horrible swim and he responded, "that stinks, you were flying!"  I hadn't looked at my times, but once I did, I realized I was flying!  I should've been swimming about 1:34ish per 100 yards but for my two intervals I was down into the mid 1:20's.  So I'll take that as I can go a lot faster than I thought.  So it turns out I was just going way too fast.  But to even hit that pace made me rethink my defeat mentality.  So that swim was actually a win for me.  This was my second day in a row of a workout that wasn't great, so I was doubting if I have been doing enough.  Spoiler alert, I have.  But the doubts creep in on those bad days.

     Three bike rides this week were on the schedule, one of which was my threshold test to reevaluate where my HR zones should be or if they have changed since the last time I did the test.  I changed by one BPM so essentially no change. I've been told that with the short time of my training plan (short!?), I shouldn't have much of a change every 4 weeks.  So I didn't expect much, but just wanted to make sure as I get into my "Race Specific" part of the plan for the next seven weeks.  I had some great conversation with fellow Everyday Ironman Podcast member John Stevens from Illinois on my Saturday ride.  It's fun just to talk triathlon and training and whatever else comes up during a 90-minute ride.  Makes it go so much faster.  I did watch Top Gun again (yes, I have a problem) in honor of Iceman. Mav was told he would lose other wingmen, and this week he did. RIP, Ice.  Still looking for that first outdoor ride. Two things kept me from going outdoors on Saturday.  One, it was in the high 30's and windy (come one warm Spring!), and I had to do it really early as I taught a CPR class in the morning.  There will be plenty of outdoor rides, so I can wait.  It's still early April.  Last year I didn't get out until May.  Hope to do more than that with my big June race looming soon.

    I ran three times.  The first was the night Julie got back from the east coast. Since I only got 4 hours of sleep that night, swam in the morning, worked, then picked her up without going home, I was getting tired.  Then we went out to eat so that put my run at about 7:30PM.  I don't run well that late in the day anyway, much less for some anaerobic intervals.  As I started to attempt to hit my intervals, there was just nothing there. There was a time where I was running my recovery periods between the fast sets when my eyes just wanted to close.  Not saying I was falling asleep while I was running, but.....  When I got home, I was pretty bummed out on my workout.  This was the day before my "bad" swim.  I know that lack of sleep, late evening with fast intervals, and a full belly didn't help at all, so in my overly positive training mentality, I just had to write it off.  But I still came off of it not to excited.  On Sunday, I redid my threshold run test.  Last month on this test, I didn't pace myself well, but saw some time running around 7:30/mile.  There was a lot of walking in that test as I couldn't sustain that pace.  Just went out too fast.  This time I paced myself much better and averaged 8:06 per mile for the entire 30 minute interval (I walked twice for about 15 seconds when I hit a couple uphill areas).  I did creep down below 8:00/mile a few times, but kept it nice and steady--that is a pretty good pace for me to sustain that long.  I've run those times before many years ago, but that was when I was doing only running.  For having the mix of swim, bike, and run, I was extremely happy with this test.  Now I can recalculate my HR zones as I get into the next training phase.  So I started the week with a horrible (in my mind) run, but ended on a solid note.  

    I was supposed to get a strength day in on Tuesday after my not-so-great run, but that just wasn't going to happen.  Instead, I did both of my strength sessions (legs and shoulders & arms) at one shot.  Since they're only about 17-20 minutes each, I knocked both of those out on Friday after work. Rounded off the week with 4 yoga sessions.  Still seeing some improvement slowly but surely in my flexibility.  

Training Notes:

   

    Out of 13 workouts this week, I had two bad ones.  And one of them, after looking at the stats, wasn't really all that bad.  Being tired definitely has a factor in how I feel about a workout session. And it really wasn't an issue of physical exhaustion from the workouts, it was all about my rest.  Something I saw on Saturday on an Instagram reel resonated with me. From an Olympic-hopeful track athlete so it's probably pretty good advice, there is a rule of thirds when doing something hard or chasing a dream (Ironman, anyone?).  One-third of your days you should feel good or great.  One third you should feel OK.  And one-third you should feel crappy.  If you have a good balance or close to those thirds, things are going the right way.  And you're doing fine.  If I have nothing but good days, maybe I'm not trying hard enough. If I have too many crappy days, there might be a problem with my fatigue or doing too much.  I have had harder days, but for the most part even on those days I've still been pretty positive.  This week though, I let those doubts creep in. Am I going to have done enough workouts at the right pace/intensity to accomplish what I want to in June and November, plus in the months around those dates for the smaller events?  Am I following the right plan?  Could I do more?  Is it all enough for such a big goal?  I know the answer will be yes.  But right in the middle of it all, there are those times that I wonder.  Is all my pool swimming going to prepare me for an open-ocean swim with 2000 of my newest best friends around a pier, TWICE? I can't think about that, all I can do is still focus on each day and workout, and makes sure I hit the rule of thirds.  Or at least keep that concept in my mind that it's alright to have a crappy workout/day/week.  I just can't let those build up and be too much of my time.  But I ended on a high note, so all the other stuff is in the past.  But I definitely can't go to bed after midnight.  

Life Applications:

"Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you 

not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing."    Luke 12:22-23 (NLT)

     How many times do I feel that I'm not doing enough?  Or worrying that I am not enough?  Do I do enough as a husband, as a father, as a friend?  What about work? Do I do enough in life or am I just coasting?  Am I good enough or should I have been working harder in certain areas?  There are times I know I'm on the right track. Other times....not so much.  I don't know if the rule of thirds applies here, but I guess it could.  There will be good days and bad.  Sometimes it changes right in the middle of the day.  Circumstances, fatigue, frustrations.  These can all build up and change my outlook on something that may not be that big of a deal.  

  It's easy for me to have self doubt.  John Stevens and I even talked about it a little in regards to the doubts that creep up regarding my races.  What if X happens, will I be able to continue?  What about Y, will I have time after that?  Can I finish the whole thing if Z occurs during the race day?  But I also have the daily doubts.  By nature, I'm a pretty confident person. I can do hard things but underneath the calm exterior I'm pedaling fast sometimes. 

    The thing that kept coming back to me this week and especially as I got closer to the weekend was how my attitude needs to be when things don't go my way or how I react when something in my daily life causes me to doubt.   Jesus told his disciples to not worry about everyday life.  The most important things are not we'll have clothes to wear or if we'll have enough food to eat.  We (read, I) so easily fall into the societal trap of "I don't have enough".  Not enough money.  Not enough friends.  Not enough time to do all the things I want.  But those are just earthly wants.  Not needs.  What I need the most is the knowledge that God supplies everything I need.  That's not easy as a human living in today's world to always believe. But I have to. I'll always want more and never have enough money to do everything and go everywhere I'd like to.  

    But I have what I need right now.  A great wife.  Awesome boys that are learning to spread their wings as adults.  An outstanding church where I can use my talents to serve and in turn fuels me each week through those around me and through the pastors.  A job I love where I am constantly challenged and from which I get daily satisfaction.  And when I can focus on those things, the bad days - the bad circumstances - the bad moments, all pale compared to what God has given me.  And I am enough.  He made me to be enough.  But not by my own doing, although I need to do the best I can with what God has given me.  But it's all by His Grace and Mercy.  And so I really have no complaints.  

Final Thoughts:

    That's the end of my general build up phase.  Monday starts my Race Specific phase.  Time and distance will slowly build up, although it will stick with the 80% rule of low intensity.  This is the final 7 weeks before my two taper weeks.  I need to focus on my rest, my recovery, and do the best I can everyday.  That's it.  I'll be looking for the rule of thirds and know that the bad days will be OK. It's all about getting out there again and again.  

    Thanks as always if you are reading this.  If you're not, you are probably not missing much in your life.  But this has been a great thing for me to reflect each week on this journey.  And it's been good for me.  

CPC, Olathe KS

Keep fit, Stay THE Course, and Keep Moving Forward

                     8 weeks, 6 days, 3 hours until 70.3 Eagleman.

                29 weeks, 5 days, 10 hours until Ironman Florida.