Monday, July 5, 2010

I'm beat

Well, the nerves are finally settling in. All the bravado aside, the thought of going 140.6 miles is a little daunting. I'm trying to control all the things I can - train well, eat well, rest well, obtain and maintain good gear. I know there will be a number of things that I can't control - weather, other competitors (i.e. getting kicked in the face while swimming, squirrely bike handlers, etc). I say control the things you can and be flexible with the things you can't.

I did my 10k run last night. This was a good plan - I really do enjoy hoisting a few with my old man and brother in law, but it's just not worth it. Having that workout hanging over my head kept me on my best behavior. My legs were feeling tired, but I willed myself to run hard. I ran by my GPS and am pretty sure the distance was accurate. I'm not real happy with the result - not because I think I should be able to run faster, but because I really pushed myself. I went for the pain threshhold on this one, but I could only get my legs to turn over so fast. I even played mental games with myself - first I was pretending that I was in a race - that did not work. O.k., now I'm being chased by a bear - worked a little, but I think that bear would have caught me. My total time was 54:35. I've done better and I've done worse.

Today was squats and this workout cemented the fact that I'm physically tired. I did o.k., but once again, I've done better. I warmed up on the stationary cycle for seven minutes, Did a few air squats, did a few with just the bar, then 95, then 135 and my first set of three was with 155.
I did 155 x 3, 165 x 3, 175 x 3 and then failed on my first attempt at 185. I was pissed. This was a mental break-down. I hesitated at the bottom and that was it - there was no way it was going up so I had to lay it on the crash bars. I stripped the weight, put the bar back up and then put 185 back on. This time I was able to get one, but it was a major struggle so I knew better than to try two and three. I finished with 165 x 3 and made sure I went deep. If I was going to do less weight, at least my form would be stellar.

Notes on diet - not great for the last couple of days. Still eating decent foods, but my meals and snacks have been too spaced apart. I need to stop trying to be accomodating and become a little more selfish about my eating - I wait for others when I should just stick to the schedule. This also causes overeating at times since I am starved by the time I eat. Funny how the stomache has shrunk though - I was so bloated last night I could see my stomache sticking out (maybe that's what slowed my down on the run, o.k., I'm reaching) - It was better by this morning. I can actually feel my energy coming back up now that I got myself on a decent schedule again.

4 comments:

  1. The fact that you posted that time in that heat is a real positive! Keep up the good work Martin, I am sure it will pay off for you.

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  2. Exactly my thoughts on the time vs. heat yesterday. It was gross outside and even this morning at 5:50 when I let the dogs out it was disgusting.
    And 3 weeks out you NEED TO BE SELFISH!! It is all about YOU.
    And I was just wondering if when you thought about a bear chasing you if your HR went way up.

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  3. I agree you have the right to be selfish about your diet. do what you need to do and don't feel bad about it!

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