63 days.
Essentially, that's just 2 months. In 2 months, I will complete an Ironman. The culmination of this ultimate journey is within view. And when anyone asks me how training is going, all I can think to say is, "I'm really tired. I'm tired all the time."
I feel like I should have more excitement to share, more tales of adventure and learning new things, and the joy of accomplishment and achieving this goal. But no.
I'm tired all the time. Not sleepy. I usually get a solid 8 hours each night. But wiped out.
Pooped.
Wrecked.
Exhausted.
Fatigued.
That's the kicker, I think: fatigue. There's no spring in my step. Other little indicators: I squat down low to get something from the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet and my knees twinge and I groan as I heave myself up. I thought I was supposed to be getting fitter, but it feels like I'm moving in the opposite direction.
All last week, I did workouts, but they were a struggle. My legs didn't want to move. I did a trail run on Wednesday, and there were some solid climbs, long, steep grades that kept curving up and up. Instead of going the full 7 miles, I turned around at 3 for a 6-mile out-and-back that took me 1:05 to run. What a slog. Beautiful, though.
Yesterday, we had a long workout, a double brick for most, triple for a couple teammates whose event is coming up sooner. I listened in as one of them chatted with a coach. He said he didn't feel ready yet. Our coach explained that he likely didn't feel fit enough because he was in a constant state of fatigue. After training for 8 months, with our bodies pushed to the limit on a regular basis, everything feels a little harder to do, and that can translate into not feeling ready.
On one hand, hearing this helped me. I know now that it is perfectly normal for me to feel tired all the time. I'm still gaining fitness even if everything feels hard.
On the other hand, I now feel even more overwhelmed. My race is still 2 months away. This means I have 2 months of fatigue to look forward to. Daunting!
Despite the fatigue, I powered through and had a strong double brick. I only added 6 minutes on the second bike loop, and that included a 2-minute break at the water stop on the second go-round. I lost some distance on the second run: both were 50 minutes, but I dropped from 5.9 miles to 5.1. Some of that had to do with my absurd decision to push 8:30/miles (and below) on the first loop. By the second, I managed a more reasonable 9:20 average.
All day, teammates commented on how strong I looked, not realizing how weak my body felt from the inside. I powered through. Now that I know that I can expect 2 months of fatigue until race day (or at least until taper, beautiful taper), my new motto will be: "Fake it 'til you make it."
63 days.
Essentially, that's just 2 months. In 2 months, I will complete an Ironman. The culmination of this ultimate journey is within view. And when anyone asks me how training is going, all I can think to say is, "I'm really tired. I'm tired all the time."
I feel like I should have more excitement to share, more tales of adventure and learning new things, and the joy of accomplishment and achieving this goal. But no.
I'm tired all the time. Not sleepy. I usually get a solid 8 hours each night. But wiped out.
Pooped.
Wrecked.
Exhausted.
Fatigued.
That's the kicker, I think: fatigue. There's no spring in my step. Other little indicators: I squat down low to get something from the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet and my knees twinge and I groan as I heave myself up. I thought I was supposed to be getting fitter, but it feels like I'm moving in the opposite direction.
All last week, I did workouts, but they were a struggle. My legs didn't want to move. I did a trail run on Wednesday, and there were some solid climbs, long, steep grades that kept curving up and up. Instead of going the full 7 miles, I turned around at 3 for a 6-mile out-and-back that took me 1:05 to run. What a slog. Beautiful, though.
Yesterday, we had a long workout, a double brick for most, triple for a couple teammates whose event is coming up sooner. I listened in as one of them chatted with a coach. He said he didn't feel ready yet. Our coach explained that he likely didn't feel fit enough because he was in a constant state of fatigue. After training for 8 months, with our bodies pushed to the limit on a regular basis, everything feels a little harder to do, and that can translate into not feeling ready.
On one hand, hearing this helped me. I know now that it is perfectly normal for me to feel tired all the time. I'm still gaining fitness even if everything feels hard.
On the other hand, I now feel even more overwhelmed. My race is still 2 months away. This means I have 2 months of fatigue to look forward to. Daunting!
Despite the fatigue, I powered through and had a strong double brick. I only added 6 minutes on the second bike loop, and that included a 2-minute break at the water stop on the second go-round. I lost some distance on the second run: both were 50 minutes, but I dropped from 5.9 miles to 5.1. Some of that had to do with my absurd decision to push 8:30/miles (and below) on the first loop. By the second, I managed a more reasonable 9:20 average.
All day, teammates commented on how strong I looked, not realizing how weak my body felt from the inside. I powered through. Now that I know that I can expect 2 months of fatigue until race day (or at least until taper, beautiful taper), my new motto will be: "Fake it 'til you make it."
63 days.
Week 36 Mileage
Tuesday, July 16 Cardio - 1 hour (elliptical) Wednesday, July 17 Run - 1 hour 5 minutes, 6 miles Beautiful trail, Briones Overlook Thursday, July 18 Cardio - 1 hour 30 minutes (elliptical, run) Friday, July 19 Swim - 1 hour 5 minutes, 3000 yards Saturday, July 20 Bike - 3 hours 35 minutes, 60 miles Run - 1 hour 40 minutes, 11 miles Sunday, July 21 Fatigue. | Totals: Swim - 1 hour 5 minutes, 3000 yards Bike - 3 hours 35 minutes, 60 miles Run - 2 hours 45 minutes, 17 miles Cardio - 2 hours 30 minutes Total: ~10 hours |