And we finally have burnout

About a week and a half ago, I finally reached burnout. And oh boy am I feeling burned out. Similar to the month leading up to the marine corps marathon, I am obsessively checking out the bikram yoga facilities in the area because after the race, rather than swimming/biking/and running, I just want to do hot yoga and stretch out my sore, tired muscles for a couple of weeks (after resting, of course). My tentative plan for after the race is 2 weeks off completely, 2 weeks of hot yoga, and then slowly picking up running/biking again.

Two weekends ago was the last major build week in our training cycle (3 hour run, 120 mile bike ride), which also happened to correspond with one of my best friend’s all day Indian wedding (2 ceremonies plus a reception). Looking at this weekend on my calendar, I realized I needed to take Friday off of work to fit it all in.

Friday I woke up early and headed out for my run around a local lake. It went pretty well, although I slowed down a lot at the end. I then used the day to complete some errands I hadn’t been able to get around to, like going to the post office to get my mailbox lock replaced and the hardware store to get new house keys made (I may or may not have recycled my keys…a result of how tired/out of it I have been lately). I also put together the hammock I bought over a month ago and let me say, it is the best purchase I have made this year! I have never really been a hammock person but I saw it on groupon goods and had a weak moment. I think that the hammock will be my key to rest/relaxation for the rest of the taper and recovery.

Saturday I went to my friend’s wedding. It was so fantastic to see her happy and to see that she met a guy who is worthy of her (which I can assure you is hard to do). It was also great to spend the day with some of my best friends from high school (and life in general). But to be perfectly honest, I felt pretty sick most of the day and was thankful for a couple of breaks we had so I could go home and take a nap. It also was a really long day with her first ceremony starting at 9am. After 2 ceremonies and about 20 rounds of delicious Indian food, her reception got started around 9pm. I stayed until around 11:15 (had to fit in dancing!) before heading home, freaking out about how little sleep I would get. It didn’t help I had a lot of trouble falling asleep (see freaking out and 20 rounds of Indian food).

Sunday I woke up at 5am (after 4 hours of sleep) and headed off for the ride. I was lucky enough to join a large riding group that made the day pretty fun. The first couple of hours were pretty shaky (including when I crashed into Janet at an intersection because my reflexes were not up to par), but once I got into the swing of it the lack of sleep didn’t impact me much. We got back to the parking lot after 75 miles and headed back out again, into the wind and up a false flat. The first 12 miles after the parking lot were extremely demoralizing but then our group had a well-timed flat that allowed us to stop and regroup. The rest of the ride was much better and I am so excited to have completed it!

After that weekend, though, I definitely reached the full-on burnout I had managed to avoid up to this point. I missed both my mid-week bike rides in favor of increased time in the pool, and couldn’t get myself to work out after work to make them up. I also spent the entire week dreading my long ride over the weekend (40 miles in the mountains of skyline drive).

I went for a massage on Saturday (shoutout to www.fitpromassage.com) and expressed my dread over the upcoming bike ride. The massage therapist is on my tri team and is also an Ironman and basically said to me 1) she missed half her long rides and was fine for the race, 2) this is supposed to be fun but people forget that, 3) if I am dreading it so much, I should probably not do it, and 4) the training program is just a piece of paper and isn’t fit for everyone so I should listen to my body. This is exactly what I needed to hear. I can get so focused on the goal sometimes that I need the outside perspective.

After hearing that, I decided to skip the bike ride (intending to go on a more local one). I went to a minor league baseball game Saturday night (go p-nats!), and went to bed late. When I woke up, I realized I had no desire to ride my bike. Instead, I spent the morning in my pajamas, started (and finished) a new book, walked my brother’s dog, cleaned my house (SORELY needed), and volunteered at the animal shelter (aka cuddled with cute dogs). It was EXACTLY what the doctor ordered.

These last few weeks before the race are going to be pretty difficult. I am so ready to be done with the Ironman but my body needs to rest/recover. This weekend I am heading to Luray for an Olympic triathlon and will camp out Friday/Saturday. Then it is 3 weeks til the race!