No Rest for the Weary (or Wicked)

For the first time in over 6 months I have no future!

Sounds depressing, but it’s actually quite a relief.

Let me explain. I always have a project to work towards; some bike ride, a road race, a specific PT test, triathlon, marathon, you name it. It shapes all my workouts, meal plans, and stress levels for the months leading up to it. I eat, sleep, and train for it. After I survived the Body vs. Earth sprint triathlon last week I had nothing else planned to follow it. For the first time in months, I’m free.

And it feels great!

My body was ready to quit at the end. The last week saw my final CCC APFT (a final physical fitness assessment as part of the Army course I’m in Oklahoma to take), a double workout the next day that included Cross-Fit torture and an intense soccer game, a hard 5km run on Friday, and the cold and rainy triathlon on Saturday.  This was less than two weeks since the Hotter ‘n Hell 100 mile bike ride that I had also been building up to all summer. Once it was all said and done I fell into a deep coma on both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. It also didn’t help that I had finally completed all the academic requirements for both my Army school and grad course of the last half a year.

Sports trainers and coaches tell you all the time to get enough rest. But sometimes it’s hard for those of us that need something to work towards to keep us motivated. There are just so many exciting things to do that keep me going that I always have to have something on my calendar. And that keeps me from ever truly taking the time off to recover and reset my whole system. 

I also have my annual personal requirement: 1 marathon + 1 triathlon + 1 standard century ride.  I checked off the marathon twice at the beginning of the year, and then the last two over the last few weeks.  So I also don't feel the personal obligation to myself for the rest of the year.

So, here goes my first break in a long time with nothing on the horizon that will drive my training (also might be without my road bike for four months while traveling, so that won’t help much). Will I be able to keep motivated, will I get fat and lazy? Or will I have the time to fine tune my overall health, build a solid foundation of strength and cardio during the wintertime, and posture myself for more adventures in the spring and summer of next year?

No clue.  Guess we’ll just have to see.

Yup, time to take a break.