About a month ago, I learned that my first race of the year was canceled. If my race schedule wasn't already jam packed, I probably would be disappointed.
Onward to my May race: St George.
The last few weeks of training have been tough. I never signed up for easy, though. What's the saying? It doesn't get easier, you get better.
Training has been tough because of the course. All hills, all the time.
I'm doing tough bike workouts. (THANK YOU Zwifters for the RIDE ONS). I'm doing tough runs and a lot of strength training.
Losing out on one race means that we have more time to prepare for a tough race.
I'm tired, often. I'm sore, often. I feel like I'm in an endless hunger pit.
We've changed up a lot, as far as training goes. I'm doing back to back to back to back swims now. I'm running more often, and the bike workouts...well...sitstandgrindforcemorepowermorepowermoremoremore.......THANK YOU ZWIFTERS for the RIDE ONS.
Although I haven't asked, I think she's doing this intentionally. There's a method to the madness, but I haven't the energy to inquire.
It goes back to something I've mentioned before. What do you do when you're tired? Do you quit? Do you back off? That is certainly what I want to do. But there's also that voice that reminds me, "this is the stuff that counts. Any damn fool can train when they're feeling fresh. Giving it everything when you're tired is something that not everyone is willing to do".
It's really easy to just get through a workout.
It's harder to give it your everything when your body wants to stop....and just....rest for a bit longer.
During today's run, 5k pace intervals on an incline (of course on an incline), I felt pretty decent. You know, "pretty decent" for the work I'm doing. I mean, my legs were screaming at me. My heart rate was over threshold. I was drenched when I finished the workout and so badly wanted to lay down when I remembered, "I have to swim".
The swim was brutal. Liz gave me a form swim instead of swimming masters today. Form = easy, but there was nothing easy about it. In fact, lately all my swims have been a struggle.
I went, and I struggled through it. I struggled to hit my intervals. I thought about backing off a little bit, but I didn't. As I was swimming, I remembered that every time I have a few tough swims in a row, I have a huge breakthrough.
My time for a breakthrough swim is coming, but to get there, I have to hold on right now.
My time for a breakthrough race is coming, but I have to hold on right now.
