Friday, June 30, 2006

Rock Bottom

It hit me when I was watching my team, my friends crest the hill on the run Thursday and The Machine says to me, "They don't allow cars at Ironman." Ouch. You see I had driven myself to the top of hill playing SAG, instead of running it, the final cap to a terrible trick workout.

People I am at rock bottom in my training. I think I have pushed myself to far physically with too many nagging injuries and I simply can not physically recover enough to give 100% in my daily workouts. So I am taking a week off. Its terrible timing since I have an Oly in three weeks, at altitude.

My hope is that over the weekend and into next week, the treatments and rest I do on my legs will help my batteries recharge and get back to regular recovery cycles instead of being exhausted from the slightest bit of training. Instead of a dead stop I will active rest with walking at a 17 minute pace, the drop dead minimum based on my estimates of what I will need to complete the ironman marathon if I walked the whole thing. I will also do the A.R.T., acupuncture, e-stem, twice weekly stretching routines and whatever else The Machine tells me to do or not to do. I certainly am having trust issues with myself in regards to my training and don't think I can lean on my own understandings.

All my other team mates have taken time off since Ironman Arizona except me. All of them have taken time off from training in the last thirty days except me. The difference is they did it by choice and I feel like I am forcing myself into this decision. I am an "All Go, No Quit" guy who will / who has stupidly given my all to incredibly hard workouts back to back to back. I don't turn down an invite to workout with someone and when all else fails-go for a run.

I don't want to take time off. I have the biggest race of my life four months away. I also don't want to continue to put out sub-par training that leaves me feeling like I wasn't able to give enough, to train hard enough. I am no stranger to lapses in training, this blog is called Common Man Syndrome, but I am kicking and screaming into this decision. Mentally I am looking forward to a holiday week coming up that is ripe for distance training, but physically I am sleeping longer and longer each night and my training is almost impossible to recover from one day to the next.

Right now each stroke in the water feels more like I am doing a massive shoulder press rather than swimming. Every crank of the pedal leads me to believe my brake pads are dragging on the wheel rim, otherwise why would they feel so difficult to spin. The running is just painful in my left leg from the torn hamstring down to the shin splints and locked up ankle. Just the effort of walking uphill is leaving my gulping air.

The wheels have fallen off the bus and what pisses me off is that I allowed it to happen. I have played the safe game only to keep myself in the game, when what I really needed is a break from it. To sit on the bench and recover for a week instead of pounding out the hills or the miles or the yardage. My sole purpose in the MRI this week was to rule out a stress fracture so I could continue ramping up my training. If its not broken then why stop pushing? Just add the stretching it, hold it back for a week then rocket on. I am not thinking correctly.

I have to remind myself that this is a good thing. That in seven days my body will be stronger and more prepared for stimuli. That I need to listen to my training plans and take the cut back weeks when they are scheduled even when they don't compute with the schedule of my team mates. I am training for an ironman and they are all training for a half. I trained all the way through their ironman program with them and because I didn't race it, I didn't really take any time off. Foolish and rookie.

I have become a cautionary tale. Great.

13 Comments:

At 7:29 AM, Blogger Tri-Angle said...

Morning Comm.
On my ONTRI website we have a chat feature. People come in and ask sometimes odd, sometimes enlightening questions. A lot of our discussions revolve around over training, rest and "when should I take time off" The most COMMON answer seems to be "listen to your body" I listened to mine for most of June. I was sick for a while sure and the whole bone spur/Planter deal but when I couldn't get up or "just didn't feel like it" I rested. I think taking a week off will be a wise move. We'll still be there when you're ready to come back, and you'll still kick my ass on Usery Hill. No worries brother. God is good and my bet is that He's telling you to back off. Use this time for Mo and the Mistress. I bet they would love it!
Andy

 
At 7:47 AM, Blogger S. Baboo said...

Take it easy, take a rest and enjoy it. I developed a stress fracture in my hip even before I was feeling the exhaustion of overtraining. It's a tricky thing, recovery, I still suck quite badly at it but maybe one day we'll both learn our lessons.

 
At 7:53 AM, Blogger TriDaddy said...

With the amount of base you have you can most certainly be ready for IM Florida in 16, hell 12 weeks, if need be. You'll be fine if you make sure you recover completely. Stop training completely for the week, at least! I don't think there's a benefit to walking 17-minute miles now especially when you've got stress fractures. If you keep walking for exercise you'll prolong your recovery, I bet. Also, I'd cut out the hills. There aren't any in Florida. When you start running again hit the treadmill or flat roads only! I'm thinking of doing that myself. My two cents.

But again, with your base I think 16 weeks is more than enough time to be ready for Florida. I'd take next week off completely, then ease back in the following week with some cycling and short swimming. Then come back as your old self July 17.

Hang in there. The day to tough it out is November 4th! Our time is coming, make sure you do what's necessary to be ready, even if that means rest.

 
At 8:54 AM, Blogger Carrie said...

Get yourself in yoga class during your off week. You'll be helping your body, there's zero impact and you can still break a sweat. Take mistress out for a night on the town. Take Mo to the pool to splash around and you can tread a little water. Rest while it is still your choice.

 
At 11:33 AM, Blogger Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Your base is more than sufficient for a little break. Sleep, stretch, go for a walk with your family... it's okay!

Rest is a weapon.

 
At 1:55 PM, Blogger greyhound said...

I have been injured and overtrained before too. It totally sucks because your mind and your body are complete enemies, and both are lying to you.

Your body is telling you you'll never feel good again. Your mind is telling you you have to train or you'll never finish. Both are wrong.

You will feel strong again, if you rest, and you will finish even if you rest. In fact, you'll only finish if you rest.

Charge all the batteries. The physical ones, but also the emotional and spiritual ones.

 
At 2:27 PM, Blogger SRR said...

Listen to your body! It is trying to tell you something! Good luck!

 
At 3:55 PM, Blogger JC Hyte said...

As I said early and as Andy among others had said, listen to your body. Rest up physically and mentally, you'll benefit from it in more ways than just IMFL training.

 
At 5:10 PM, Blogger Habeela said...

This seems to be the signs of the times. Taking time off is the hardest thing in the world, I swear! Hang in there...it'll all come back.

 
At 9:25 PM, Blogger Rainbow said...

A cautionary tale, maybe. An honest look into your physical and emotional well-being, you bet. Good lord do I understand this inner struggle. I have had to fight it for the past 5 years. Knee reconstruction, itbs, c-section, multiple other injuries later I am actually starting to realize that giving my body a rest and listening to it is not a sign of weakness of laziness. I hope that you can take full advantage of your recovery week. You WILL be stronger for it. Take care.

 
At 1:24 AM, Blogger Cliff said...

Commodore,

Take the time if u need to. In fact, bail the olmypic tri if u have to. The focus is Ironman.

Right now, take some time off will be the best approach. I mean. Enjoy it. S pend some time with Mighty Mo and Mistress. Stay back from tri for a week. Do something normal. Let your body do its thing.

When u are heal, u will have the passion and fire back to jump into this again... :)

 
At 8:20 AM, Blogger Dr. Iron TriFeist :) said...

Not you too!!! Is there some overtraining bug going around.

At least you're reacting like the smart athlete you are. You see the signs. You know the right thing to do even if it's the hard thing to do.

If it makes you feel any better Rule #4 from Gordo's Golden rules to losing your Iron Virginity is:

Sleep is more valuable than training.

You're training smart. Keep it up.

 
At 10:39 AM, Blogger Crackhead said...

I second the 2 weeks off idea. I wanted to say something to you early in the year when you were training AS IF you were doing IMAZ, but in fact you were just training for IMFL. Too much training, too soon. Too long of a season. Your body is striking back.

If you have true muscle tears, then skip the walking. If you want to do run simulation, POOL RUNNING. That is the SAFEST thing you can do and not aggravate things further.

Also, you will probably need to learn how to strengthen the front of your shins, since usually splints are from the gastroc/soleus being much stronger than the anterior tib and other compartment muscles.

Take 2 weeks off, and then act AS IF you had a giant taper, and ease back into training.

I would skip the upcoming Oly race. It's no big deal. The race will always be there. Your objective now is to get to the start line of IMFL healthy. So far, not so good. Is an Oly race going to help or hurt that objective? Is lots of walking and hiking going to help or hurt that objective? The only thing that will help right now is rest. 2 weeks off from walking and running, following week pool running only, ramp up slowly, skip the Oly race, ease back into everything else. You've got plenty of time to be ready for IMFL.

 

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