Coach P asked me to share
What began as a rockin' JOS turned wrong when I got sick in
Week 9 after testing. I took a few days
off, but each time I tried to work out, I got sicker and ended up with
bronchitis. I was coughing up "unmentionable
green things" for weeks.
I spent 5 weeks only able to log 2-4 hours of training/week. I could
barely run 45 minutes and even that had too many walk intervals to count. With 10 weeks to Boulder 70.3, I questioned
if I could turn this around. I’ve raced
a handful of 70.3 distances, so I wasn’t interested in dragging myself "just to
finish” my A race.
I initiated a discussion with Coach P about whether I should
give up on Boulder 70.3 (only 10 weeks out). Coach P reminded me what my body
had been going through, told me to give it 2 solid weeks of training and then
reassess. I went all the way back to WEEK
1 of my HIM plan, even though I should have been on week 10. Three weeks later, my long run is back to 90
minutes and in the last week, my avg HR dropped 7 bpm while speed is increasing. After executing weeks 1-3 of training, I am ready to slot back into week 13 and finish out the plan to race day.
What I am proud of:
1) When I was sick, I decided the only thing I could control was my eating. I cleaned up my diet and lost 7 lbs 2) I
didn’t try to rush back too fast - I followed Coach P’s advice and
just listened to my body. 3) I didn’t let my pride get the best of me – I
reached out and asked for help.
I am surprised how quickly my base bounced back. For me, 12 days of solid workouts was the turning point. Of course speed is lagging, but even that is coming around.
Spring 2015 isn't the race prep I was planning,
but it's not the DNS I thought was inevitable a few weeks ago. Thanks to Coach P for
the wise counsel!
Comments
Way to pick yourself up and keep moving forward despite the cards you were handed!
To me, that is the stuff champions are made of!
Keep leading!
SS
Keep up that forward momentum! Have a great season!
A lot of good lessons in here for any lurkers.
1) If you don't take the appropriate rest "early", lingering things turn to full-on Bronchitis and/or 5 weeks of total loss.
2) Ask for help, you'll likely find it in this haus.
3) Eating clean helps A LOT.
4) Your body has the fitness, you just have to remind it and it will come back quicker than you think.
5) Share your experiences - as this is a good reminder for the rest of us and how we all learn and get better.
6) Jennifer is gonna Kick Azz at Boulder (okay, I added this last one)
We can all get in our heads and "sabotage" when things look like they are going wrong. Truthfully I was almost there. I am amazed how much of my base my body held onto even with 5 weeks of junk training and how quickly it is coming back.
John W has the right lessons - (I'll take #6 for good measure!)
Wow, excellent!
Hope I can follow it as needed.