I will be having surgery on 3/17. This will put me out of commission for a few weeks (no training). Then, the slow ramp up.
Liz and I have discussed the 50-50 chance of being able to get ready for my 70.3.
This is something that, although not life threatening and pretty minor, has to be done. I've known it for a long time. This is the result of something that happened in 2012. I'm not posting the details here because I don't want to hear some random stranger's horror story. I will give the details when I post this for my small group of readers on Facebook. Once surgery is over, I'll also be more than happy to write all about my recovery.
I'm really happy to finally have it done. People around me, however, are struggling. It puts me in a weird position.
When I started OSF, I had no idea that I would have lost the amount of fat that I've lost. I continue to do so.
I am more powerful on the bike than I've ever been.
I'm running faster than I ever had.
I've been making these huge strides over the past few months. Yes, granted....Liz and I have been planting these seeds for awhile now. They are now taking root.
I have come to realize that it's really hard for people to understand how I can stop training right when things are going incredibly well.
I, also, know that they feel this way because they really care about me.
My perspective is different.
This is my 11th year of doing triathlon. The racing year is long. There will always be races. If my early 70.3 doesn't work out, there are plenty that I can do (if I choose) later in the year. If I am able to do the race, expect tears at the finish. Then again, I cry at every race.
The other advantage is that I get a few weeks of a mental break, not that I need one. But it's there, so I might as well take advantage of not being measured & thinking about power and pace and speed.
I ask that you don't be sad for me. This is a very good thing. It's something that has bothered me for 4 years. Sure.....ideally....it could have been done during my off season. But, the body does what it does. I wasn't having any issues during the off season.
The timing is really good.
Recently, I have been observing my friends and non-friends (on social media and blog writing). Before I even knew that I was going to have to have surgery (it really did come out of left field), I'd been analyzing my life.
I really have a great life. We all have our ups and downs. I never fake being happy or positive. I don't pretend things are going well when they aren't. When I say this is a good thing, I'm not trying to convince myself of the fact or put a positive spin on things. It really is a good thing.
As I mentioned, prior to this, I have been doing a lot of thinking. It all came out when I had my Spa day. My Spa day isn't a mani-pedi day or getting facials or anything like that.
My Spa day was a day that I took off in the middle of the week to do things for me that I enjoy. Some things that I'd put off for awhile. It was fun. I thought, "I need to do this more often."
After my Spa day, I decided that I was going to incorporate those activities into my life more often. Take more time for me. You can argue that training is me-time. But training is hard work. Scheduling training is hard. It requires a lot of energy.
Me time will be those times where I don't have to think about everything that has to be done. I don't have to think about getting my strength workout done before I go to bed.
I can just enjoy being me: the me that very few people know....the person behind the business owner, the person behind nutrition, the person behind the 15 hours of training a week.
I think is going to be a monumental year for me. It just might come packaged differently than I originally thought.