Promise Keeper
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Just yesterday I agreed that I'd slow things down with my training to recover properly for Ironman Coeur d'Alene. I agreed with Coach Gerardo that we'd seek injury credits for both the Los Angeles 13.1 half-marathon and the Surf City full marathon on Super Bowl Sunday.
So what did I do this morning, in the misty cold rain in the Santa Clarita Valley?
I cycled 40 miles with Frank and Bob.
I can't figure out which promises to follow! I promised myself I would attack bad weather days in Southern California to ensure I don't have any excuses for future races that throw wind, rain and hail at me like Ironman Arizona. I promised myself I'd lay off the running and focus on recovery too, so does that mean if I take it easy on a 2-hour-plus ride in the rain that I'm "recovering?"
Isn't having fun part of the recovery process? No heart-rate monitor? Water and road grime on my face? Clothes soaked? Black toe covers turned brown with mud?
C'mon! That's fun! How can I turn that down?
The whole reason we enjoy do what we do, at some level, is because this is supposed to be FUN. Honestly, despite my "injury" I'm having a lot of fun. Something I wasn't doing at the end of my IMAZ training. It was a chore. Work. Somewhat stressful. Grinding.
The past few weeks, though frustrating, have been a lot of fun. Even if I'm not following doctor's orders completely, I feel like I'm re-energizing myself in other important ways.
So which promise do I keep to myself? To get better and hold myself back? Or do what I feel like doing because it's simply fun?
I know the answer lies somewhere in between. I know I haven't found the balance quite yet. But like the biggest lesson I've learned about becoming an Ironman, the answer lies in the journey, not the destination.
So, I'll either get this recovery process thing right, or I'll misfire and experience a setback.
I don't know how this all will turn out. But I do know that I had a lot of fun today on a rainy stretch of road in the middle of rural nowhere.
182 days and counting.
