Setbacks

It was bound to happen.  I got injured!  And it happened while playing softball of all things; definitely not part of my training plan.  I laid off 4 days and wallowed in self-pity.  Then I went to my massage therapist and it felt better; until my run this morning.  I have been instructed to live on the foam roller and stretch; two things I hate. 

Then I received my next training phase from my coach and he’s ramping things up in preparation for an Olympic distance race in 9 weeks.  Both therapist and coach are on the same page, trying to encourage me that the goal is achievable.  I am doing 2 maybe 3 races before the ironman in Arizona (IMAZ) because my coach wants me to get the experience under my belt.  I could care less about the 3 races I’m doing before the big one in November, but they insist that all 4 races are doable.  I wonder…

And there it is…I am my own worst enemy and depression really hits hard when I face setbacks.  I am trying to get myself out of this funk by trusting the advice and forcing myself to do things I would love to avoid.  There’s a sermon in all this somewhere.  “Lord, help thou my unbelief.”

Life Modifications

 Got a new bike seat the other day but still experiencing painful pressure points.  Come to find out, seat adjustments happen in millimeters!  So, I made some modifications and today’s ride was much more comfortable.  Still some minor pressure but it was manageable, so I will keep tweaking.  Through my research, I’ve even discovered that I wasn’t sitting properly on the seat the whole time!  Come on, how can you mess that one up?

 I’m gonna assume that proper sitting posture leads to proper running posture because when I did my brick (a combination workout that includes biking and running back-to-back), my legs didn’t feel like bricks and I actually ran farther, at the same heart rate, than previously.  And maybe that was just a result of 10 weeks of training but that would also border on arrogance, so I’ll go with my first analysis.

 If I ever get to a point in my walk with Christ that I think I have it down pat, someone please slap me with a bike seat.  Then, when I regain consciousness, remind me of 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (especially verse 12).  Just because I’ve done it a certain way before doesn’t make it right.

Stay Humble

In my training, every 4 weeks is a scheduled time trial (TT) week.  Just finished my third TT for this training phase.  The first one set the standard by which my training days would be based.  The second was disappointing because I didn't improve my times at all.  In fact, I regressed some.  My coach asked how meticulously I stuck to the plan.  He wanted to know exactly how many workout sessions I had missed.  After confessing, he showed me the direct link between those days and my times.

During this last month, I don't think I missed more than one key workout per discipline and when I completed my TT's this week, there was significant improvement.  I was ecstatic!  By the way, my coach keeps increasing the dosage, except for the swim, and the level of pain increases right along with it but I have verifiable proof that it's working, so I'm not complaining.  As for the swim, all I have been doing is form drills, which alone has increased my time more than 40 seconds.

Not gonna lie; pride has a sneaky way of creeping into my mindset.  I have to be careful not to get too full of myself, so I keep repeating a simple phrase each day, "Stay humble."  As well, I keep surrounding myself with others who are better than me, which does wonders at solidifying that phrase.  It's a delicate balance to be proud without being prideful.