Thursday, December 10, 2009

Hitting the Wall

I've always been taught that G-d laughs at those who make plans.

Once again, I learned how true that statement was.

As you may have read in yesterday's post (OK, all six of you!), I was reinvigorated to finish my week of training strong with a run and swim. I was sure I could do it and motivated for another double workout.

I got through the run OK. Actually, better than expected. Despite the low 50s temperature, I ran in shorts and a hoodie for an hour doing exactly what was prescribed, (mostly) maintaining 22-step left-foot cadence at 15-second intervals on a slightly hilly course. Better still, the course consisted of a .75 mile loop that I lapped 9 times. So I ran close to 6.75 miles in an hour. Definitely much more than expected, and I was pumped.

But when I parked at work and trudged up the stairs towards the gym to shower, I knew the swim was in serious jeopardy.

My legs were heavy. My mind was weary. I was gassed. The week had finally caught up with me.

12 workouts since last Friday. By far the most training I've done in a week, ever. Stick a fork in me.

I was feeling pretty bad about the prospect of ditching a workout and tried to scrounge for enough energy to keep my perfect streak intact. It just didn't happen.

What did happen was a steady procession of food and drink. I couldn't satisfy my hunger. A Cliff bar, Hammer gel, pancakes, eggs, sausage patty, apple, chocolate, and chicken quesadilla weren't enough to keep me feeling fueled and fired up during the day.

So I phoned it in. Coach Gerrardo was understanding and supportive. He mentioned that completing 85-90% of the prescribed workouts in a given week is "very good." Normally, I hate the sound of those words -- "very good." I crave excellence, dammit! "Very good" sounds like a "B" at best. I don't like getting "B's."

But today, "very good" sounded, well, very good.

In fact, it felt like getting an "A."

***

Tomorrow is a rest day, and I will finally get around to writing about the "Shan Clan" -- my two energetic and extremely knowledgeable personal trainers over the past two years, Shannan and Shannon.

348 days and counting.

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