I'm a big believer in the power of perspective. There's a saying out there about life being 10% about what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it - I think there is some solid truth to this. You can't control everything, and in fact probably control a lot less than you think, BUT you can control how you react and look at things - you can choose your perspective. This is not always an easy thing to do... as this past week has proved.
Last week got a little crazy with a unique task at work that took me out of town for 48hrs. This was not a big deal, but it did cost me one trip to the pool and a bit of juggling the training schedule. No biggy, but when I started feeling physically "off" around the middle of the week, my mind went on "alert"! This can't be happening, I thought - I can't get sick now, my race is in less than 3 weeks!
You have to understand, I am a type 'A' personality (most triathletes are), and I like order and hate missing workouts! I am more particular about this in some areas of life than others, but when it comes to my training (for a big race), I am as diligent as I can be. I would say over the past 24+ weeks I could think of less than 5 times where I've missed or cut a workout short. It just didn't happen. As the week came to an end, I was feeling weaker and even less up to task. I had to miss a couple workouts, and when I tried to "go" on 2 occasions, I was forced to cut those workouts short! It was a really weird feeling - I wasn't stuffy and my throat was a little sore, but I was mostly just 'achy in my bones' and feeling weak. I was feeling discouraged - my race was in a little over 2 weeks and I also had this little story in my head:
The last big goal race that I trained hard for was the Ottawa Marathon in 2009. I was in the best running shape of my life (until that point), and had ran a ton in my training. Just a few weeks prior to that race, I got real sick. It wiped me out for at least a week of no workouts. I took another week to probably bounce back to normal. Come race day, the goal was to run a 3:10 and get to Boston. I went out on pace, which I had done lots in training, but it felt like I was trying sooooo much harder than I should be. Not even half way into the race, the wheels started falling off. I was hurting, and my pace went from 'on' to a meek walk in a matter of kilometers. It was a dark moment in my racing, and it led me to my only DNF - yes, I did not finish. This experience served me well. I learned a lot that day, but the point of me sharing it now is just to add to the background of where I was this past week.
By Sunday, I was getting frustrated. I had cut workouts and missed some and today was supposed to be a long run. I look forward to this workout each week. It provides the testing, both physical and mental that is key on race day. I wasn't feeling any stronger than the day before, when I cut my 5 hour brick workout down to 3 hrs, so I made the really hard decision - no run. This is never easy, but 2 weeks out from your main race - brutal. It was my low point of the week, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I vented a bit to my wife and a few others here and there, and they all offered great support - thank you. Then I started to think about things some more... I started to change my perspective, it went something like this:
I love training. This year has been a great journey. I have done things week after week, that I never have done before. I've trained more than ever and have stayed healthy, with no injuries. Even if I stay sick up until the race, and its a disaster, there will be other days and it won't take away all I've learned and proved to myself this year. I've worked really hard this year. I've done as much as I can to get myself ready for this race. Most every week, I executed the training plan down to the minute. I've banked tons of miles on the bike, and I've had lots of good run workouts. I've got my weight down to the lightest I've ever had for a race and I've got a great support base of people pulling for me. I'm not gonna sweat 1 week of 'perceived chaos and disappointment' due to missing some training, in the grand scheme of things - that ain't nothing.
The day after that missed long run, I was feeling better. I went to the pool and got a decent swim in - a step in the right direction. Today, I woke up feeling even better. I could not wait to get on my bike and test the body when I came home from work. It felt great. The workout got done as planned. I'm back. As I rode home I thought about the week that was, and had a new perspective - thanks sickness for forcing me to rest more last week than I would have. You may have thought you were weakening me, but you actually made me stronger - I'm rested now and I got my mind ready to handle any other adversity that may come my way.
Gotta Strive,
Jon
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