Chasing the Wagon

Well the last “hard” week has come and gone and to be honest it wasn’t a “good” week at all. The week dawned with promise and plans for epic workouts and then that crazy thing called life got in the way. I am now at that point that I seem to hit every season about 4-5 weeks out from a big race and scrambling to fit in “enough” workouts and wondering if I am sufficiently prepared to undertake something that I know will be a huge challenge. I am not sure what the trick is to hitting every workout “required” and having the motivation to carry on through the last weeks of training.  I consciously tried to not train quite as much or as hard this year in order to avoid the last month failures but alas…evidently I am still a normal Joe with a life and responsibilities outside of triathlon.  Without further ado here is a summary of my week in a large nutshell.

Monday was a planned day “off” for me to get ready for what was ahead so I spent it with the family and mentally tried to schedule out the remainder of the week. I also had a doctor appointment to try and figure out the cause of the sharp pain I had been feeling in my left shoulder the last 3-4 weeks primarily during swim & strength sessions.  After a visit and some x-rays I was referred to the Orthopedic Institute in Sioux Falls and scheduled a Friday appointment there. Tuesday after work I was able to jump on my bike and get the planned 2 hour ride done so I was feeling pretty good at this point. Wednesday came and with it came the end of Nik’s marathon grading/schoolwork that she had been putting a TON of time into. The end of that huge task deserved a break and reward so I took the kiddos that evening after work so she could go out with friends and get a much deserved time to relax. Thursday- the end of my workweek came and with it the National Weather Service promised a decent evening. The previous Thursday we had planned to take the family camping for a night but we rescheduled due to mother nature.  So, with the promise of a decent evening we loaded up and went tent camping at our local state park.  Aside from the swarms of mosquitoes and seemingly abundant ticks we managed to have a fun time and make some memories with the kids and their first ever tent camping experience. (Note: air mattresses have been ordered for everyone)!  Friday morning we packed up, headed home, unpacked, and tried to get a little rest before heading to Sioux Falls.  Upon being seen at the Orthopedic Institute it was determined that my rotator cuff was impinging/inflamed and there might be some tendonitis in the shoulder. I was given a cortisone shot, a prescription for some uber anti-inflammatory pills, and directed to do physical therapy.  Lastly the doc recommended NO swimming until race day. My head was spinning by now trying to comprehend how I was supposed to be able to race on no swimming for 3+ weeks. Saturday brought another SD Triathlon and with it the travel, time, and work to attend the event and process pictures for SDTriNews. After pictures were up, late that afternoon we again were able to enjoy some nice weather and spent some time with the kiddos at the beach. The evening brought the opening of the heavens and the deluge of rain so I got to spend part of the evening keeping the shop vac company in the basement as we waited for the impending doom of water trying to make our house a home. (It never happened so that was a small victory)! Sunday brought church, naps, and FINALLY a short run turned into speedwork and a short bike turned into tempo session.

There it is, the week that was. How am I going to make it? One of the kids favorite lines from a movie- Doom on me? The questions swirl and go unanswered for now.  I know all I can do is give it my best on race day with what I have. At the time of writing this entry I have tested the shoulder by going for a quick swim in the lake and can say that it was not good- quite painful. The no swimming thing looks like it will be a “must” now. I do have plans to leave work early today (Tuesday) and get a huge bike/run in- the last of this season’s “big” efforts. I have joked with friends lately that I am now past the “I signed up for an Ironman and I’m super excited” stage and am in the “What in the world was I thinking” stage. I know it is going to be a hard day on June 28^th. I know I have put in a lot of work over the past 24+ weeks and while it might not have been “by the books”, it is what it is. I am looking forward to testing myself on race day and am very thankful for the opportunity to get to TRI and do these things! Here is hoping for 3 more weeks of “good” training and for some recovery for the body. Thanks for following along- we will write again next week…..maybe Nik will take it back over so you won’t be bored to death either!