The Dark Side

As I sit here with icicles thawing from my post swim walk from the pool to the engineering building I can't help myself from dreaming of a warmer place. The Iowa winter has been brutal for everyone and I am not immune to that. Despite the fact that I want to remain positive and get every ounce of training I can out of the bonus hours inside, I have lost here and there. I am a few numbers orientated person and over the years I has been one of the big reasons for my progression in the sport. Hard work over time makes me stronger and faster. While a day or two being not being quite ideal won't bother me, weeks and months of constant added factors to training from weather started to really get to me. This past weekend was a pushing point for me mentally, I cracked. CIRREM was impossible for me to get to (or race for that matter) and leaving the house would have ended with me in the ditch. I began to pace the house thinking of what adaptions to the training plan I would need to have done. I couldn't nail it down, and I began to worry all was lost. I called my girlfriend Emma to vent about how I felt about the circumstances (she has been beyond supportive with my whining about the weather) and then I went for a long run on the treadmill to clear my head. Afterward, I sat there and made a conscious decision to set out a plan moving forward to combat the weather that seems like it's sticking around for at least a few more weeks. These will be a combination of tools I've used in the past, adaptions I have thought of or taken from other people/athletes, and some just plain common sense. I figured I would share them and if you have any more tricks you can free to let me know!

First off, I've had a loose schedule for the next few months with a possible 70.3 in April. This put an added pressure on me to be in great shape with the ideal workouts in place as the trips are never cheap even as a professional. I have decided to that I will be cutting back the distance and pushing the 70.3 to the summer when I have the ability to get outside for the 4 hour sessions with tempo blocks. So without further to do I give you my schedule for the next few weeks.

  • Sunday March 3rd - Wash U Indoor Triathlon (with Iowa State Triathlon Club)
  • Saturday March 16th-22nd - Indiana Training Camp
  • Sunday March 24th Shamrock Shuffle 8k (With Runablaze)
  • Sunday March 31st Master's State Swim Meet (50, 200, and 1000 free)
  • April 5th-6th Collegiate Club Nationals Tempe, AZ
Alright, so that one was easy and may not seem significant. However, it gets rid of the stress of thinking what is next or what will be on my schedule. Past those races will be determined in due time. Now I have a clear defined race at the end of a block. On to the next trick, my journal has been my buddy for years. Writing workouts, thoughts, and ideas has become a staple. At least until the dreary winter hit and it began to waver before fizzling out. For several weeks I have only had Strava/Final Surge collecting my data, which is good. However, it doesn't tell my feelings or thoughts. So I'm bringing it back with a twist. I have the goal of only writing 3 sentences a day as a minimum. This sounds a lot more obtainable than writing my novel a day I was doing. Naturally, I will most likely write more, but I want at least these three. (A side note I usually write in the morning)
  • One main goal to accomplish today.
  • One thing I don't want to do today, but want need to.
  • The best thing about the previous day.
Simple. Now, these next tools are more of a personal thing that helps me relax and I love to do. 
  • Reading a chapter or more a day. With school I get plenty of reading, but these aren't my go to enjoyable books. So with simple chapter I get more of what I want in a day. If I feel like it in the morning while sipping my coffee or right before bed this week clear my mind and let me escape.
  • Cooking fresh food is both good for me mentally, but also benefits me if I make enough to have leftovers with me when I go to classes. Instead of relying on finding food on that given day.
Alright, so these are all add on to what is already happening. What happens when things go south? Every workout has a purpose and a training zone that it aims to hit. While it may seem like the end of the world when you can't get to the pool or there is a thick sheet of ice there is no way to run on. It may be a good time to take a step back and realize we as triathletes have this advantage where we can get the benefits from the other disciplines. So instead of risking it or stressing, I have developed contingency workouts. A lot of these will be translated to bike workouts, as that is the easiest one to do indoors from home.

So those are just a few things I plan on doing to get through these last few weeks (or months) of winter. Along with that I will just aim to bring more positivity to my everyday as that can go a long way. Hope to bring some great results to you in the coming weeks. Thanks for the support and reading this page!

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