Monday, December 5, 2016

Life Post Ironman

2 weeks ago I raced 140.6 miles 
then I did nothing 
nada
zilch
zero
well I did eat
but as the cruel fates would have it I also contracted the cold from hell 
so while I could eat and not have to train
I was also coughing up my lung
I did combine a crap load of dayquil with some intense will power to attend a concert with Mr Fat kid
we had so much fun, dancing and singing. 
So much fun in fact that we were hurting the next morning
Did you know there are bars that sell 6 packs?
we didn't
we do now...
Like I said... We were hurting 

So what does life after Ironman hold for me? 
Well I am sticking to my guns about no racing/training in 2017
My life has revolved around Ironman training for the past 20+ months
I need a break mentally
You can only spend so much time worrying about did you buy enough lube, is what you just ate going to make you shit your pants on a run, or does this fanny pack look cool?
Even before I decided to tackle the Ironman world I was always training for something
It has been my way of keeping the fat kid in check 
If I pick a race that scares the crap out of me then I am more likely to get my ass to the gym
so now I have a year of relying on my own motivation to continue to stay healthy
that is scary
the fat kid is running around screaming that we are going to eat ALLLLLLL the Cake
drink ALLLLL the beers
and NEVER RUN EVER AGAIN
Meanwhile the inner athlete is walking around in circles wearing the Ironman medal and trying to calculate the pace we would need to keep to run a sub 2hr 1/2 marathon, the training plan we could build to get back down to a 9 min mile, or searching Tri bikes for sale in stevebay.
I need balance
I need to trust myself 
and I need the inner athlete to sit on the Fat Kid
There has to be a world where we eat cake (A piece not the whole cake)
we run because we want to, not because we have to
maybe we even run fast 
maybe we work in some zone 2
maybe we research fast/flat 70.3 courses and day dream about a sub 6.5
maybe we say screw it and spend out afternoons jumping on trampolines
Or sitting in our house blogging while listening to Spice Girls with a snoring dog at my feet
(definitely not what is going on currently)
Who knows

I know  that it is scary
Who thought I would be afraid of not training
not me
not the fat kid
maybe the shaking and rocking inner athlete, she might have had an inkling
trust
fuck.
how do you trust yourself?
how do I let go of that control
my sweet sweet control...
no training plans
just me and the motivation to stay healthy and  enjoy myself
enjoy working out
I know part of the reason I love racing is I love pushing my body to that limit
I love finding that limit and pushing past it
I like the pain
I would feel weird about that last sentence but I know I am not alone
I married someone who feels the same way
So now I workout out to enjoy it
again the fat kid and inner athlete are screaming over what to do
the fat kid is making the argument that if we change the TV channel enough times its a workout
The inner athlete is wearing a drill sergeant outfit while screaming to run sprints and do burpees
I think trampolines and riding horses at adrenaline inducing speeds are in my future
bonus... I don't have to worry about getting hurt and dropping out of a expensive race
Balance
trust
fuck

Have I mentioned I am scared?


Image result for trust yourself funny




No comments: