On the couch.

Things are never as bad as they appear. There is always a more positive perspective that can be realized taking a step back and modifying your point of view. My training and racing are both important to me, but I think the training is my primary focus right now. This is the time to gain fitness, refine skills, practice discipline and rediscover yourself everyday. These are the benefits that you can take with you for the rest of your life. It becomes part of your personal portfolio. There are far more experiences in training than in racing from which to draw on. Racing is the test. Undoubtedly you learn a lot about yourself and it enables you to practice execution but as far as the multi-sport lifestyle that promotes optimal health and longevity, racing is just a flash in the pan. Still, I love to race for many reasons. The festival atmosphere, the sense of community and also the adrenaline rush that comes from competition and laying it on the line. It doesn't always work out to knock out a PR but to do something difficult, completely out of the comfort zone, pays huge dividends in the scope of everyday life. This is why I have felt such frustration in not being able to race this weekend. I know it's good for me.

That being said, I can revert to and be satisfied with the benefits of just training...for now. I have been forcing myself to think long term as far as what the sport holds in store for me. Times are tight right now with such a young family and so much adjustment that goes along with that. I spoke with Jim at length on Tuesday and man, having a coach with all that he has seen and experienced in the sport is golden. We talked about a lot of issues including my "where to" plan from here, but what struck me the most was that he was surprised at how much I was able to accomplish this year. In a realm where it is so easy to compare yourself to others, the motivation that goes with that can be a double edge sword. If not checked it can lead to a lot of dissappointment and frustration. This sport is unique that it is personal and has the potential for long term fulfillment.

The plan from here is to take the rest of the week off. I was showing some pretty classic signs of fatigue. From what? The training hasn't been so intense or long. I'm guessing though pretty sure it comes down to recovery. Recovery is dependent on a lot of things, obviously nutrition and sleep but also overall stress levels. That is where it gets tough to realize. What is the stress? How are you handling it? Obviously stress becomes evident when things are out of balance. Therein lies the challenge. Having said that the plan is to take these four days OFF. period.
Sat and Sun. I'll do a some weekend workouts and then get back into a lighter training block.
I'm still planning to do IB sprint. I've earned it. After that it's two-three weeks off and then back to base training. I'm planning to do a 20K TT on September 9th to get some good wattage data.
I'd also like to get some performance testing done. Particularly HR zones for the run and body composition. My weight has been pretty steady around 160-164 and BF% around 6-7%. But to run better I'd like to be steady 158-160 and 4-5%. During the base training I want to have a significant run focus. I've tried training the strengths but can't deny the limiter. The run. To know that if I ran as well as the swim and bike I'd move up 10%-15% in the standings is enough to drive me to crazy. There you have it. It's all about the run.