R & R does a Triathlete good
To all my triathlete friends out there who may feel a little overtrained, tired, worn out, or just plain sick of racing and training at this point, or any point during the season really: I have come to realize how much I love triathlons and enjoy the incredible amount of training that comes with racing through Not doing races or being able to train!
As most of you already know, I am 13 weeks preggers now and have had to cut way back on my training and had to switch to a more 'stay active and in-shape-mode' while I am allowing my Bean to grow properly. I have been told that racing triathlon is 'dangerous' and comes with inherent risks to me and the baby so I shouldn't do them. What a Bummer!! But, there is a positive side to all this.
I recently went to watch my first triathlon without competing and felt totally lost! I had no clue what to do! But as I watched all my friends rock the entire race, a lightbulb turned on inside of me. Could this be one of the ways someone was trying to tell me to slow the 'eff' down and chill out for a little while? Then, on a lot of my training/ exercise sessions lately that I take at a more leisurely pace more often, I realized it even more! Slowing down and taking in the sights, not worrying about my heart rate zones, how far I went, or what kind of power I was spinning at made me realize that I really do love triathlons!
I love riding my bike and running with my husband which I would never get to do if I were training for a race that seemed to be at least once a month. I love going to the pool to swim and not worrying about getting in 3700m, yet getting in an awesome 2000m at a comfortably hard pace instead. I don't leave my dogs running behind me to catch up on an interval run anymore! :) It's actually fun to me not to have to worry about how hard of a workout I get in but important that I get in a good exercise session just to stay in shape. If I don't feel like exercising one day, I don't! I don't push it. I'm not going to lose much in my training and will be able to get back to it soon enough after the little Bean decides he's had enough too and wants out. It's awesome!
So my advice to my triathlon friends... if you are tired, worn out, hate triathlons, or whatever other feelings of dis-like for training you may have, is to slow down. Take in the sights. Go for a ride or run, or even just a walk with your significant other or dog if you have one. Leave the Garmin at home and don't worry about your heart rate or power output. Just go by time or how you feel. Do it for a week or two and you will begin to see how much fun triathlon can really be! The feeling of the tires beneath you and the pavement or trail beneath your shoes is beyond amazing when you really don't care. I can't wait for my first race next year! I couldn't really say that this year, but now that I haven't, and can't race this year, I will have a full year worth of excitement just waiting to be unleashed! I challenge you!
As most of you already know, I am 13 weeks preggers now and have had to cut way back on my training and had to switch to a more 'stay active and in-shape-mode' while I am allowing my Bean to grow properly. I have been told that racing triathlon is 'dangerous' and comes with inherent risks to me and the baby so I shouldn't do them. What a Bummer!! But, there is a positive side to all this.
I recently went to watch my first triathlon without competing and felt totally lost! I had no clue what to do! But as I watched all my friends rock the entire race, a lightbulb turned on inside of me. Could this be one of the ways someone was trying to tell me to slow the 'eff' down and chill out for a little while? Then, on a lot of my training/ exercise sessions lately that I take at a more leisurely pace more often, I realized it even more! Slowing down and taking in the sights, not worrying about my heart rate zones, how far I went, or what kind of power I was spinning at made me realize that I really do love triathlons!
I love riding my bike and running with my husband which I would never get to do if I were training for a race that seemed to be at least once a month. I love going to the pool to swim and not worrying about getting in 3700m, yet getting in an awesome 2000m at a comfortably hard pace instead. I don't leave my dogs running behind me to catch up on an interval run anymore! :) It's actually fun to me not to have to worry about how hard of a workout I get in but important that I get in a good exercise session just to stay in shape. If I don't feel like exercising one day, I don't! I don't push it. I'm not going to lose much in my training and will be able to get back to it soon enough after the little Bean decides he's had enough too and wants out. It's awesome!
So my advice to my triathlon friends... if you are tired, worn out, hate triathlons, or whatever other feelings of dis-like for training you may have, is to slow down. Take in the sights. Go for a ride or run, or even just a walk with your significant other or dog if you have one. Leave the Garmin at home and don't worry about your heart rate or power output. Just go by time or how you feel. Do it for a week or two and you will begin to see how much fun triathlon can really be! The feeling of the tires beneath you and the pavement or trail beneath your shoes is beyond amazing when you really don't care. I can't wait for my first race next year! I couldn't really say that this year, but now that I haven't, and can't race this year, I will have a full year worth of excitement just waiting to be unleashed! I challenge you!
First off, congrats Lauren, and Happy Fathers Day to Rudy. I can't believe how grown up we are! Second, I love this post! Even though I don't race (or train) at nearly your level, every now and then I go for a run without any kind of technology just to remind myself that I actually like running.
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