This week has been somewhat a difficult week when it came to training for me. I started off the first of the week with fever and upper respiratory congestion. I knew that I better take it easy training, or it would turn out to be a full blown sinus infection. I took the day off and just relaxed on Monday. I am so glad I did because I started to feel much better by that evening. I went back to work on Tuesday, but did not get back into my training routine till Wednesday when I went to the gym for my swim and run workouts.
When I got to the gym I noticed a sign that said, "Pool Heater Broken" I asked the guy at the front desk how much colder was the water and he told me that it was only 77 degrees. I thought, “That is not that bad.” I knew that I would warm up once I got into my workout and probably would not even notice after a while. I was right, well somewhat right.
Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s weather was some of the coldest that we have had all season so my body was already cold before I got into the pool, but as soon as I jumped into the cold water, which was actually closer to 70 degrees, it immediately took my breath away. It took me back to the days when my brother and I were so anxious to start the swimming season in our outdoor home pool that we would tough the cold water out in March. I guess I am much older now, and it did not seem near as fun to jump in the cold water as it was as a kid.
By the time I was down with my warm up 300 yards, my lips were blue, I had Goosebumps all over my body, and as George Costanza would say, I had shrinkage.
I was able to finish the workout, but I immediately got out, dried off, and started the thawing process. It did not take very long to get warm though because I immediately got on the treadmill for my run. By the time I was done, my body was steaming, I was exhausted, and my family jewels had relocated back to their proper location and proportion.
My wife was not feeling well last week to the point that she coughed so much that she pulled a muscle around her ribcage. The doctor put her on lift restriction, which does not allow her to pick up Shawn for the next couple of weeks. I really feel bad for her, because I know how much she loves her nightly routine with Shawn. I of course have had to rush home from work to take care of Shawn which limited my availability to get to the gym. As with any injury though, you can’t rush it, so she is fighting through it trying to get better and I found a way to get most of the workouts in. Keep her in your prayers.
This week is a recovery week for me. I am glad because the last three weeks have been hard on the body. Of course with last week being broken up with my sickness and having to be home put Shawn to bed, my training suffered. I really think the recovery week will act as a great week to get back into the normal routine of training for me. Of course my night college classes start this week too, so I have to see how much of a stress that puts on the training as well.
I respect the professionals who do this for a living a lot. Triathlon is thier job, and I really think that you have to have a strong mind to stay focused on training, but I am starting to respect the age groupers much more than the professionals. Not only do you have to keep focus on training, but you also have to make sure that your other priorities do not suffer because of training. I have had to learn how to juggle my real job, my family, going back to school, and training. Sometimes one gets in the way of the other, but you just have to roll with the punches and pick up where you left off. My real story is not just about the finish line but the journey to the start.
