Singing the Mid Winter and OS Blues
I've seen it sprinkled through different threads that there's more than a few folks in the midst of the OS blues.
This too shall pass. Spring will come, we'll be riding outside on a regular basis. Old training partners will wonder how we became so much stronger.
We'll be running and our sweat won't freeze on our eyebrows.
Treadmills and trainers will get stored away and collect dust.
We'll be reading about early season races where people are PR'ing all over the place.
But what about now? Take a rest if you need to recharge. Do something fun. Ski, snowshoe, winter hike. You'll bounce back.
So, if you're feeling blue, burned out, pissed because you didn't increase your vdot or FTP, let it out. Let's hear about it. We've all been there.
Dave
Comments
The only thing bothering me is my lack of consistent running, but I have been getting is some extra biking and weights. Bring on SPRING!
But, heading out to Cali next week to visit friends (I'm in upstate NY) and looking forward to a break from this 20 degree weather and snow. Sunshine and 50s for 3 days!
Count me in with the winter blues! I think the lack of daylight is taking its toll on my mojo for sure!! Feeling burned out on the bike intervals! and haven't been doing the bricks very consistently because I guess my mental six pack as people in the haus say is not very strong. The thought of going from dripping with sweat to running outside in single digits, ice and snow, plus it is usually cloudy, gloomy and dark, just doens't movitvate me to go OUTSIDE AND RUN! Ah, well, I know Rich doesn't really put much stock in bricks anyway...so what the hay, who needs em
Dave, you are so great! You are like our own little ray of sunshine in the middle of winter!! Thanks for this, it brought a smile to my face!
Hope you ducked that cold you thought was coming on.
I'm taking it in stride mostly which is a change, not sweating the interruptions and weather, doing the work and not obsessing about missing some because there's plenty of time over the next few months. It's all hay in the barn, money in the bank, etc. Yes, KB, Caps big comeback over the Pengeez bodes well.
And, of course, Cali dreamin'.
Awesome thread, Dave!
My mojo demanded I buy it a sparkly satin headband today. Demanding mojo. 4x4x30x30 (I get to do my month over) in a sparkly headband. Who knew? I hope it doesn't want a pony tomorrow.
Certainly has been a theme running through a ton of threads lately. Really easy to lose enthusiasm at this point. Killing yourself in the basement is only fun for so long. I looked back the other day and after having a great start to the OS last year I did not get on the bike once in Feb. Doing much better this year all things considered but that does not mean I am not feeling glued to my bed in the morning and coming up with lots of excuses not to walk down the basement stairs.
Been running every day [well most days] and getting a couple solid sessions a week in on the bike. I am sitting on a higher vdot than ever and about ten watts and ten less pounds than last year at this time. Hell, I even swam today.
As the Halligan wisely pointed out, soon enough the snow will melt [assuming that we actually ever get any freakin snow] and we will have a chance to turn the pedals in anger on the roads. Key is to be no worse off at the end of March than we were at the end of December. You can't start an IM plan feeling burnt out and unmotivated. It won't matter how hard you worked in December if you are a slug in June/July when it counts.
As Rich likes to point out, this is just a game...Keep it fun
"Little ray of sunshine"??!! This is the Halligan - nothing little about him. He's a walking solar eclipse for God's sake!
It's funny how at the beginning of the OS I couldn't wait to get on the trainer and crush it, but just this morning I said to my wiife I was procrastinating because I was trying to build up the courage to go into to the cave and suffer.
Might take a few days of respit next week / mini taper to prep for a 1/2 marathon on 2-21. I think a few down days will help both mentally and physically.
Hope you have a blast. It will all be here, relentlessly, when you return.
cm
Just really craving an outside ride/run on a mild, dry day. It's been weeks. Need a break from the cave....
Avg temp for today 59 degrees..... today high of 37! This global warming is killing us down here in texas! Im never cooped up this much! It has been snowing here all day were supposed to have over 6 inches!
Keep in mind I live in TEXAS!
It is really annoying that people in TX and VA have more snow than we have here...
Overall, I have done great. I don't mind the pain cave, or the treadmill running. Sure I prefer to be outside, but I long ago gave up fighting the season. It is what it is. I can reap a lot of benefit from trainer riding and indoor running. So be it. Be one with the weather.
I do get outside to run as much as I possibly can. Otherwise, I don't much chafe against the winter training.
My blues come from digging that g.d. hole again in the VO2max session. Until that block, I hit every workout, every pace point, every bit of distance (save for a few brick runs) until then. Before the VO2 block, I was handily making my watts +3-4 in the 2x15 or 3 x 10 sets. Now, after a solid two weeks, I'm just inching back up to hitting my FT in the longer FT intervals--barely making it, and certainly not going over. Also, I'm just getting back to 2-3x10, rather than splittling things into 3x8 (on a good day). Vexation.
But what is, is. So after this happening two seasons in a row I have to finally learn from it. The value in a not-so-good scenario of going backwards is how you use it. This time, I think I got a lot closer to learning my personal fatigue danger zone, being aware of when I'm hitting that red line of being overcooked, and learning to back away sooner. I hope. The nasty black hole had me bummed, butt being mad and upset about it does nothing. What's the lesson? What can I learn? What do I need to add or subtract to stay strong over the long term? Make lemonade, right?
Dave, thanks for taking care of this team and opening up this thread. At this point, feels like where fighting for inches in some moments.
Some Q4 mojo from TX....one of my favorites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk
SS
Great to hear from everyone. Regardless of how you feel, what your last test result was, we can all take stock in knowing that we are fitter and faster than we were when we started the OS.
I've found my training to have ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys.
Despite some current setbacks, mentally, I'm in a good place. I'm dealing with a hip issue and will not run until Mon or Tues next week. I got a cold early this week, did the bike workout, but have stood down since then. 2 full days off.
Can you believe it? It took a lot of internal debate to stay off the bike last night. I just kept asking myself, would my recovery from being sick be helped or hindered if I worked out. I figured it would hinder my recovery and took the day off.
I'm feeling pretty good and ready to jump on the bike later today and I will suit up and head outside this weekend. Yep, outside, mid 30's. It's time to see if I can still steer the bike on open roads.
Dave
I've been in the doldrums and in the last couple of weeks have popped out the other side and I can tell you it's fun once you get here and you all will. These last 2 weeks have flown by.
I haven't seen the gains on the running I was hoping for, I tested outside @ the start of Nov and I've just surpassed thatat the last test inside on dreadmill and +30 degrees over the outside test. All I can say is that it's really toughened me up.
Now the bike is a total revelation I'm already 19 points past Rich's estimate for me for the whole OS and I think I'll get another 10 points @ the final test.
And my wonderful wife has booked a vaction to Mexico for week 21 of of the OS, what can I say her timing is prefect
Anyway, FWIW I wrapped my head around treadmill and trainer ONLY starting Nov 1. I know that drives most crazy, but I set it up as if there were no other options, all training and testing inside, so ANYTHING outside has been a bonus. For the record, I PR'd a local 5k 2 weeks ago by 1:20 !!! I had alot of training buddies going WTF have you been doing ?
So , we all need to remember what we're doing and why we're doing it, sunshine is just a state of mind, and it won't be long til I'm bitching about how hot and humid it is !
Global warming my ass.
I hear ya. 24 degrees this morning in Atlanta. We just don't have the gear to run, let alone bike, in that!!! Moreover, it's still dark at 7:15am because we are so west in the Eastern Time Zone. Just miserable. Hurry up Spring!!!