A long Season…but it’s not over yet!
It has been a long season! I began racing at Ironman California 70.3 at the end of March and for some reason I thought that Ironman Arizona in November would be a good way to end the season. Well I must admit it has been a very long season, although my body is holding up pretty well. Training 20-30hrs a week for almost 8 months certainly takes it toll on the body, however, I have been taking the time and energy to focus on the little details of recovery to make sure that I stay healthy to get out their day after day. Ice baths, Trigger Point Technology Massage Balls, CherryPharm, MAP, yoga, regular massage with Jeff Wells, a well balanced diet (with some help from Pam - At Nutrition for the Long Run) and sleep, at least 8hrs a night are all an important part of my routine.
However, the physical abuse is not the toughest part of racing as a pro triathlete, I really think the hardest part is staying mentally focused. I do 90% of my training solo, due to the nature of my training schedule and the fact I am still new to the Durham, NC community so I am not really plugged in with many training partners….although I’m working on it. As a result the beginning of yet another 5+ hr ride or 2+ hr run can be a little daunting, however, I approach training days a lot like race days, just break it up into small bite size segments, even if all you can stomach that day is running to the end of the street. I find that starting is the hardest part, once you’re out there the time seems to go by pretty quickly. All that being said I am feeling great after Kona. I took a week off after the race and did nothing (incase you are interested Rachel) that’s right I didn’t look at my bike, touch my running shoes and showing was the closest I got to swimming. Although I did stay on top of my recovery routine. After that week I got right back into the swing with 3 weeks of pretty solid training which ends this Sunday and then it’s taper time…again.
I am feeling very good physically and mentally, despite the late calendar date, and I am very focused on Ironman Arizona. There are a lot of great athletes signed up at this point, but I know that I am going to go race hard and push my limits to end the 2008 season on a high note. Just like Palani Hill in Kona, the end of the season is down hill to the finish so go hard and empty the tank! :)
