Similar to Ironman races, the moods of an athlete in training can somewhat be described as a bike or run course of rolling hills. Add in anything extra like family, work stress, and/or injury and it’s a recipe for a meltdown of some sort. I wrote about making lemonade last week, and I knew that when I wrote it my words would eventually be thrown back in my face….by myself at the very least. I was just not sure how quickly my outlook would change.
I had a decent week, only one bike workout missed as I headed into the weekend. The reason it was missed was due to some swelling and pain from previous workouts. I was trying to be careful, you know, teeter going too far over the ledge. I was excited to be back out on the bike again for my long ride on Saturday, and as I started my intervals I felt the ankle start to swell. The swelling gradually got worse, the pain for sure. I stopped at McDonalds to refuel and get the rest of my bottles filled to finish my last 30 miles. I went to the bathroom, looked down at my ankle, came back out to my bike, looked at my mileage (68 miles) and just decided to call it a day. I was discouraged, feeling sorry for myself, and questioning every darn decision I made. Was it wise to go back? Am I growing soft? Is it better to be safe than sorry? Am I making excuses?
The rest of the day was spent mentally rethinking what I’d done over and over again. What more can you do when you are confined to foot elevation and ice machine?! Really? I not only “gave up” in the middle of my bike ride, but now I’m missing seeing friends (2 events I didn’t go to) that I could really use right now. I also got to see all over Facebook the awesome posts and pics of Beach 2 Battleship (www.setupevents.com) race which was an event I’ve been waiting years to do, yet b/c of my ankle had to miss. My Sunday only went downhill from there. I was supposed to do a 2 hour tready on the alter G and 30 mile ride since I’d quit early the day prior. Let’s just say I’m not sure my h/r ever even got high enough on the bike to qualify as a real ride and the run was an EPIC fail.
I told myself if I was going to cut my workout short, I wasn’t allowed to go home and be grumpy. I wanted to make sure my choice didn’t effect the outcome of the rest of the day (like Saturday). I ended up getting home in time to watch a movie with my husband and son, and end the day on a brighter note being thankful for my time with them. I could’ve chosen to let it ruin my day, and I certainly wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement, but I made the most of it.
I have tough days like everyone, and all things considered should be very thankful for my “tough” days in comparison to others. It’s kind of funny b/c I remember a song playing while on my ride Saturday and it said you never know how high you are until you come down. During Ironman racing I constantly remind myself what goes up must come down, and vice versa. The bad days will lead to good days, and I just have to remember I cannot control some things, but I can control how I react to them. Now, if only I could do as well at life as I do during racing (mentally focusing anyways!)….life is always a work in progress.
