I haven't been at this sport for very long and certainly don't consider myself to have been an athlete (quote, unquote) for very long at all... I have been asking around amongst my other athletic friends as to how they view themselves this time of year (ie. off-season...) in terms of their fitness levels because quite frankly, I've been really in a bad funk...
...I feel lazy, fat and cat-like in my desire for slothful pursuits... running seems interminably hard at the moment, I'm not swimming because of a shoulder injury and the only thing where I'm seeing any improvement is my cycling.
The scale is not all that friendly these days although not quite downright scary... which is a plus... I guess...
So, I'm curious... does EVERYONE feel this way after their big 'A' race and a successful race season...ie. like they've potentially gone to seed? It's a horrifying thought, isn't it? What if my beautiful Sugoi spandex outfits don't fit properly next year?? What if I'm mistaken for SANTA when I put on my red speedo on Saturday and run through Toronto, to raise money for the childrens' hospital?? (Ok... so that's an exaggeration... I'm not going to be mistaken for Santa... but maybe a plump-ish Elf...)
Naturally, I've been laughed at by Eric because apparently this is 'normal' but geez, how is a girl supposed to know what's 'normal' when she's never been through it before? AAARGH... it's like race day all over again ... 'It will all come together on race day'... sigh...
My other friends that I canvassed all pretty much echoed my thoughts - they feel 'less fit' and aren't doing very much in terms of training compared to the warmer months leading up to and including race season.
I guess I should be 'enjoying' this lull before my workouts ramp up again in - what - March/April...? I have no clue when they begin to ramp up, quite honestly... I just check Training Peaks and go from there... the rest of the time I'm blissfully ignorant about the process although I admit I am getting far more interested in really understanding how this works! Maybe then I won't over-analyze everything...
So, as I was cleaning up my blog pages today, I came across a post from February 2010 (because, clearly, at that point in time, I was having a case of the blah's and needed a reality check). It seemed quite fitting for how I've been feeling lately, so I thought I'd revisit some of those points and then bash my head on the wall a few times till it sinks in that progress is being made but it's not always linear...
Then and Now:
Then: In October 2009, I was running 2:1 intervals
Now: I am doing steady runs nearly all of the time
Then: Christmas 2009, I was running 9:1 intervals
Now: See above point
Then: February 2010: First ever steady 30 mins run
Now: Just surprised myself with a 50 mins. steady run
'Patience is a virtue, my girl'... yes, that's what my mother always used to tell me when I was little. Ugh... sometimes it's hard to be patient.
Onwards...
Reality checks are often surprising initially but then you think about it a second and they really aren't. My offseason is playing with my brain too. I think it is normal. the reality check is that I hope it is....
ReplyDeleteIf you are feeling improvement cycling, go for it!