Embracing Reality--4 weeks until Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga

In the past, I have been very diligent about selecting and following a training plan before a big race, such as a half Ironman.  This time I selected a plan and had high hopes of following that plan, but that didn't quite happen.  Life happens, shit happens, and sometimes laziness and lack of motivation happens.  All of the above is pretty true for me.

Life happens...
After Ironman Chattanooga last fall I was pretty tired, which is to be expected, and I also had a lot of catching up to do in regards to my social life and family life.  I signed up for a 40K trail run in February so that I would at least stay somewhat motivated to run.  I rode on the trainer about once or twice a week, and I decided to boycott the pool all together.  I did enjoy quite a bit of hiking throughout the fall as well, including a trip to Cumberland Island. 

Tea Cups in Disney World=Post Ironman Crazies!

Amelia Island Beach fun

Hiking on Cumberland Island

I think I was experiencing a little bit of triathlon burn out and needed a "time out" to do other things. The holidays were busy as usual and festivities continued with lots of birthdays in January and February...and 15 pounds laterrrrrr, it's really time to get serious about training more and eating less!

But first, let's go on an amazing vacation to Ecuador!

Hiking on Pichincha volcano at 4100 meters

Ziplining in Banos, Ecuador

Pululahua Crater

 

Hiking in a Primary rainforest in the Amazon

Hiking to and swimming in a waterfall in the rainforest

 It was an amazing time, and I managed to get in lots of activity at high altitude to make up for all the food I was stuffing in my face :)

Riding bikes in the old international airport, which they converted into a huge public park in Quito

Shit happens...
And because I don't know how to take a complete "time out" from athletic things, I kept running and ended up hurting myself here and there along the way.  Little nagging pains in the hip, back, glut and groin were becoming more serious and warranting more days off than planned.  Then just when I thought things were getting better and I was enjoying my trail running again, I rolled and sprained my ankle during a trail race and also banged up my knee in the process. 

This not-so-graceful fall down a hill occurred just a few days before my trip to Ecuador.  I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to do all the hiking we had planned, but thankfully it was just a minor sprained ankle and my knee was mostly just scrapes and bruises, nothing too serious.  I knew I needed to be smart about it though, so I made sure to tape it up and/or wear a brace, and took a break from running.  Thankfully I know someone in Quito who is a physical therapist, and she examined my ankle and used some of her cool gadgets on me :)

Laziness and lack of motivation happens...

Sometimes I just really want to sleep. I really want to lay on the couch and have a good netflix binge while eating an entire bag of chips. I really don't want to drive across town and fight traffic to get to the pool. I don't want to squeeze into a swimsuit or be seen in public in a swimsuit.  I realize these are all stupid excuses, and I should suck it up and get my butt to the gym...especially with only 4 weeks until race day...but it is easier said than done and sometimes laziness wins the battle. 

The good news is that 6 weeks post-injury, my ankle is feeling a lot better, and I have built back up to running 7 miles relatively pain free, riding the bike for 3 hrs, and can kick while swimming again (ever tried kicking in the pool with a sprained ankle? Holy Youch Batman!). No more excuses! I also made a trip to the grocery store to stock my kitchen with only healthy foods.  Better late than never, right? :)