I Almost Cracked

I LOVE running in the cold weather, heck; I don’t even mind a little rain.  But this continuous cold, rainy weather is about to crack this Ironman.  I’m doing all my bike rides, including a 4.5 hour ride, indoors on my trainer.  Completing the majority of my rides on the trainer has not only been tough physically but it’s been challenging mentally.  It’s just plain boring.

If you have ever trained for a race you probably know there is usually a dark moment in your training.  I refer to this as a meltdown.  I usually have at least one meltdown while training for a big race.  While training for my marathon several years ago I stopped on a long run and just had a good cry.  Last year while training for Ironman I had a couple of meltdowns on the bike.  Most of the time when I crack and have a meltdown I’m tired and overwhelmed.  I work full time at a demanding job and I put a lot of pressure on myself to race hard and fast. 

As I train year after year my meltdowns have decreased in number but I almost had one Sunday on my long run.  I was shocked because I usually enjoy the long runs the most out of all my training.  I like to get up and run early while the sun is rising and the woods are coming to life.  But this Sunday it was cold and pouring rain and about 1 hour into my 2 hour run I had to stop take few deep breaths and relax.    I was still miserable and cranky but I had my best long run of the year.  I was so happy after I got home, took a hot shower, and warmed up by the fireplace.  I was happy that I pushed through the dark moment I experienced out on the dirt roads.  HARD WORK PAYS OFF!