Jumping on Dixie Cups...
We'll folks after reading some race reports I have come to the conclusion that I'm just not hungry. I don't have the drive nor motivation to put in 10-15 hours a week into training for an IM.
I thought things might be different so I eyed up a HIM at the end of this season then I went through weeks of prep to jump in at the 12 week out portion of the training plan. And nope.... I ain't got that either. By that I don't mean fitness I have hung with the workouts it's just the gray matter between the ears that is not cooperating.
Along the way to my 12 week jump into a HIM program I have done 2 SC races and enjoyed driving home at 10 AM vs. 10 PM. In retrospect it has been a tough year physically / mentally , coming off a Pulmonary Embolism in February , lucky to be alive thing, and picking up my training as I was allowed to. I thought now is the time to plan something... I guess.
Before the PE I had like 8-10 races lined up listed on my profile as in house folks sometimes do , nope scratched that too. Wasn't a IM year so SC stuff with HIM and trail running / racing , something new to try perhaps an Ultra, nope all gone.
Didn't think I was in a funk guess I am , walking in circles jumping on Dixie cups....
Hummmmm... got a hell of a good tan though.
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Take a long break and do some fun stuff away from the endurance sports rat race and don't give it a second thought. Maybe the fire will come back and maybe it won't. Key point is to just have some fun. You've earned it!
I was totally burnt out after last season and wondered whether I was going to be able to fire up again.
I decided to do nothing physical and start building up my SAUs after my last race.
After about 4 weeks of no workouts, I decided to take my roadie out with an old friend and just hamered away until I was way out in front of him and had to stop and wait for him to catch up.
After an hour of this we went and had coffee — ie no intervals, no long ride, in fact no plans, just fun.
It was then I realised that I was missing training and wanted to start again.
Long story short — stay away from structured training and just do what you want to do even idf that isn't much.
If you want to get back on the horse then do that, otherwise don't — remember its just a game and supposed to be fun
Sounds like you are in a different space post-PE. No need to force anything. It is supposed to be fun and if it isn't, you'd be happier spending time doing other things for a while. Some of my other interests are hiking, camping, long canoe trips, over night B&B bike rides (pedestrian biking on fitness bikes). It is all fun stuff with Carole that doesn’t require any serious training or commitment. In a way, that stuff if more important to me than all my selfish endurance sports.
Stand down, do something fun, smell the roses for a while and look at life from fresh eyes. When the time is right, you will know it. The fire will return, just don’t become a flabby couch potato in the mean time.
You don't have to do any of this, so only do it if you want to.
Something else that I want to share....that's alot of racing. I used to try to race several times a year, tho not as many as you had planned. I found that to be overwhelming. It was too hard to to mix a busy life with all of the training and admin stuff of racing often. I BACKED OFF on the races. Now only 2 (maybe 3) in a year and it's made a world of difference. I enjoy the training more. I treat our group rides like a race anyways and it's a social trash talking testosterone session, lots of guy fun. There are plenty of folks who can handle several races per year and it doesn't send them over the edge. Not me, I learned that about myself. I like the multisport lifestyle and the 2 or 3 races are just enough to hold focus.
think about that angle, takes alot of the pressure of being perfectly prepped all the time off of my shoulders, it helped me, might help you.
but, do take a break, and take it ez on yourself, it's no big deal. But stay active, it gets away from us quick.
Look, this is all supposed to be really fun. If it isn't fun and you are having to kick your ass to get out the door for workouts, don't do it.
Hi David,
Your not alone...i cant help but notice the "Im burned out" theme within the forums and dashboards. There are alot of people "Flying to close to the sun"(including me). It would be cool if there was a magic liquid that can help you deal with the mental burdon that comes with Ironman
Hang in there...
Athletically, after I finished my last Ironman, I forgot about swimming and biking and just ran a lot. It was a joy and made me very happy. I also happened to gain six VDOT points. Sounds like maybe crushing SC races is your summer fun?
David - I've learned that lowering expectations has become mandatory for me, nearly two years after my big bike crash. I took 3+ months off of structured training - no running or biking - after last year's IM AZ, and still haven't done a bike ride longer than 56 miles, even though I have an IM coming up in 8-9 weeks. And I'm looking at *next* year as another rebuilding year, seeking out more non-race activities to energize myself, similar to this year, when I'm doing a Ragnar relay and a 2-day 240 mile mass ride in CO. It may seem like I'm back at it, with two IMs in each of 2012 and 13, but compared to where I was before my accident, I'm really just coasting on residual fitness and experience with much lowered expectations.
I know I have more healing to go through, and may never get back to where I was.
If it isn't fun, I'm not interested, and until 2014, it's fitness first for me.
The overwhelming theme to this post screams out to me,
1,Take some time off... chill a little.
2, If it's not fun stay active or get fat... I can do that.
3, Step back reassess my expectations.
Seems like post PE I was wanting to jump back into the game as if everything was the same, no harm no foul, not so much.
I had a month of OS under my belt and moving on or so I thought . I recall being in the ER barely breathing thinking man it's getting
late I need to get to bed because I have to go to work tomorrow, or burn a sick day.
When the doctors figured out what was wrong with me and told me I was not going home, I was very surprised to be admitted
for the week. I didn't know it was that easy to .... slip away, so to speak.
Think I will do what I want to do for a spell, staying active because that's part of me.
Thx....