Head Case

This past week has been a battle. Not quite “The Worst” (because, I’ll be the first to admit, I was maybe a touch dramatic in my last post) but I have definitely been feeling the effects of some very big volume weeks in training and a general fatigue has set into my body.

I guess, in short, I’ve been feeling a little beat down this week. I know it is normal, and I know with a few more unscheduled naps on the couch with the pooch (see photo below), a few days of compression tights under my pants at work, etc. I will begin to bounce back and I will be ready for race day. I know this, but it is still hard to convince myself of these things in the present moment.

I have found myself trying to remember what I felt like at this time two years ago, but I think I’ve blocked it from my mind. So, I decided to go back and read a few of my posts from late July and early August 2010, and well, let me just say – it is a touch freaky. Is this Groundhog Day? I’m apparently reliving the same events over and over, haha.

Anyway, one thing that is different is my expectation. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some sort of time expectation for myself for this race. I mean, I have something to compare it to, which I never had before.

The same blissful ignorance that I had going into IMC 2010 is not there, and of course I want to have a better time than I did in 2010. I think that is only natural. I would guess most people who participate in sport want to improve, want to get better, faster, stronger.

Thankfully, I know I am stronger and fitter than I was two years ago, so realistically, I should be able to accomplish this… right? Of course, doubts still creep into my mind.

One word that keeps coming into my mind is just “believe”. I know a huge part of anything is just believing you can do it, so I just need to believe in myself and my training and my ability. I need to work on being stubborn and telling my aching muscles to shut up. I need to work on embracing the pain and staying mentally tough. I need to believe I have this ability.

All that said, ultimately, my goal for race day is to once again finish. You never know what can happen out there and so, I just want to enjoy the day and most importantly, be smiling throughout.

Okay, rambling self-motivational speech is now over.

On another topic, I’ve just now been hit with how crazy August is going to be with two exhausted, stressed-out, tapering IM athletes in one house. Hopefully we don’t kill each other.