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| Beautiful . . . and COLD. |
As Nikki is busy with end-of-the-year teaching/grading, the
duty of updating our weekly blog has fallen upon me again. Those expecting
their weekly dose of literary genius can stop reading now and tune in next week
when she (hopefully for my sake) returns!
Well, another week is in the books regardless if we want it
to be or not. The past week was a tough week for me training-wise, but I
learned, or should I say I was reminded, of some important lessons. As the week
ended I found myself down a bit that I “missed” so much and worried about the
time remaining before IMCDA, but more on that later.
The week started off with my scheduled day off of working
out- Monday. Then Tuesday came and with it came evening soccer games for both
Sammy and Tyler. I still managed to get a short high-quality spin session in
after the soccer games were over….but let's just say if I was a strict
“plan-follower” that it wouldn’t have been enough. Wednesday evening I got my
swim set done and felt pretty good although my shoulder is acting up, and I'm wondering
if I have picked up a bit of an arm crossover that is leading to this. Thursday
was a day I decided to take off--Tyler (our now 5 year old) had a birthday the needed celebrating. We had
a fun evening of opening presents, eating cake, and putting together Lego sets. Friday was the “crown jewel” of my workout
week. After Nikki finished teaching at noon, I packed my gear and hit the road
for a trip up north to Lake Cochrane State Park. Once I arrived, I convinced
myself to swim in the VERY cold lake- and was able to get in my first 2+ mile
outdoor swim of the season. After the swim I experienced some pretty persistent
dizziness- which I guess is a side effect of swimming in cold water for that
length of time. After the swim I met up with a friend and fellow triathlete for
a very challenging bike ride that covered the course of the Outland Challenge
Triathlon. I was extremely happy with the results of the shortened--due to
possible impending weather--ride but was left still feeling a little off maybe
from the swim. I decided to pass on the run due to weather and the fact that it
was a bit later in the day that I had figured on and still had an hour-plus drive back home. I had decided earlier in the week to try and put in a big day
Friday and then take Saturday off so that I could play with the kids and give
Nikki time to work on school work. Saturday night I went to bed and for many
various reasons could not sleep. Sunday morning dawned and with it a terrible
migraine combined with an almost all-day long spell of strange dizziness.
So….ya, I did NOTHING on Sunday as I generally laid around and lamented the
week that was.
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| Either the cold or all that turning around made me dizzy. |
Sunday late afternoon after many fluids, meds, and coffee we
decided to go to Sioux Falls. Tyler had received a Toys-R-Us gift card for his
birthday, and it was burning a hole in his pocket. We ended up having a fun
evening though, a non-rushed visit to the toy store, dinner at the kids' favorite spot (the mall food court), and movies in the vehicle along the way.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, I did NOT have a very “good”
week of workouts. I think I probably missed more sessions than I ended up
doing. The ones I did get in, although seemingly high-quality, were shorter
than prescribed. All this adds up mentally, and by Sunday I was in the “this
week was terrible-what am I going to do-the race is almost here” place. Some of you who workout regulary have been to
this place-- you miss a run or a bike or anything like that and you become a
cranky person; I know I visit this place too regularly. So in the midst of my
visit to the mental torture chamber, our 2 year old came to the rescue. No
joking here, she saved the day, the week, and reminded me of things that I knew
but somehow get pushed to the back of the burner because of life’s business. As
I mentioned, Sunday afternoon and evening we spent in Sioux Falls. Several
times during the trip and dinner Sadie would say in her super excited two-year-old voice “This is the best day EVER!!!” To see the excitement in her eyes as a
result of such simple things-- getting to look at toys, watching movies, eating
a cheeseburger, and spending time as a family playing together--served as a wake
up to me. Looking back, I was reminded that several other times during the week
that all three of the children had used the powerful phrase “This is the best day
EVER!!” at some point during one of the working-out absent evenings when
instead we played or did something as simple as sat on the floor and talked.
Looking at the week through a child’s eyes, I knew the week was just
another in the seemingly too short time we are given and that it wasn’t a “bad”
week, rather it was probably a “good” week.
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| Our life-lesson teacher |
Am I doing enough in my training for IM Couer d’Alene? I
hope so. Will I set a “PR” for the iron-distance race? I don’t know and deep
down inside really don’t care. Will I finish come race day? I believe I will.
After June 28th will I look back and regret anything during the
journey? No, because I will be able to remember the “great” weeks like I just
had that were sprinkled throughout the 24-week training period and know I
grew as an athlete and as a person. Another big week lies ahead and with it the
challenges that come with trying to fit everything in. I think we all just need
to remember that sometimes “The BEST week EVER” is not something that we were
anticipating and be willing to embrace it as part of the journey.
Hope you all have a great week! Thanks for following along
and for your encouragement along the way.
