These past couple weeks have been two much party, beer drinking and late nights. I've had too many days where I wake up in my night before clothes, shaky when I reach for the alarm clock and feeling anxiety. This morning was one of those days I woke up a little shaky and fuzzy.
My "morning after" pill is training, it is my reset button, and gets me back to normal almost immediately.
Today was a tough day. Last night I had a few too many beers and I woke up with cigar ashtray mouth. The worst part is I needed to complete a pricing matrix for work and had to be sharp. Making a mistake was not an option, doing it correctly was critical.
I committed to getting it finished this afternoon. To do it right, it was more work than I anticipated. Also, doing it with a lack of motivation, anxiety and a fuzzy brain wasn't helpful. All the effects of too much constant partying over the past couple weeks. Even for me, it has gotten out of hand.
The good news is I got the pricing completed by 6 pm. It took me the better part of the day and when I finished, I was not in a good place mentally. I felt brain dead and shaky from my body detoxing. All I could think of was pouring a nice big glass of beer and making my body feel better. It was a painful dilemma. I had NO motivation to train, the partying was taking it's toll and was near taking control of me.
This morning I made the decision to start eating well in order to lose some weight for Kona and sharpen my mind. I even went to the pantry and out of instinct went to snack on some "gold fish crackers". I even had my hand in the bag and grabbed one, I was ready to eat it and stopped myself, I decided to pull a "catch and release". It was a moment of strength.
By the end of the day I didn't have the same strength. I was so close to having a beer and realized I need to turn the corner sometime. If I drank tonight, it would just set the recovery back a day, the sooner I stop, the sooner I'd start feeling better.
The blog helped me make the right choice. If I started drinking, I knew I wouldn't train. Not training for two days in a row is a slippery slope, especially since I didn't have any numbers on the board for September. I've would never lie about not doing a workout. I was wondering how I was going to explain another day of not training to my readers.
I felt mentally burnt out. If I had felt this way from over-training, I would have taken the day off. I felt this way from over-indulgence of alcohol and I didn't know if the "burnt out" feeling was legitimate.
The turning point was I felt it would be too painful to make excuses to my blog readers about not training tonight. I also made a commitment to myself to do every scheduled session for the next 5 weeks. If I missed tonight, catch up would have been near impossible. Reading tweets from Shaw (@shawhasyj) and Ian (@pedalmanTO) about them completing workouts today helped motivate me as well.
At 7:15 I pushed myself out the door to do the "dreaded" speed work biking session. I knew would be hard and I'd be finishing it in the dark. Taking yesterday off did the body good, I felt strong on the bike from the beginning and had a very strong speed work session. Most of the 6 minute intervals were upwards of 40 kph.
To make the ride even tougher, a semi-torrential rain storm came out of nowhere. I didn't care, other than not wanting it to wreck my new iPhone. It was a good thing I put it in a plastic sandwich bag beforehand, it's a habit I started a few months ago to prevent sweat from wrecking it.
By the time I got home, I felt much better. The exercise "reset" my body and mind and I had no desire to have a beer. I beat the urge. I considered the decision to train "the moment of truth". It was a turning point that either was going to take me "up hill" or "downhill".
Alice asked how I was doing when I got home, I said, "I made the right decision, I feel like a new man". Tomorrow, I know I'll feel great when I wake up, which is good, I need the physical and mental strength for the next few days of training.
I can't believe I heard this, but Alice is even encouraging the idea of "getting to bed at a reasonable hour". I find there is no greater feeling than living healthy, getting a good nights sleep and waking up feeling great before a long ride or run.
I hope this weekend will be one of abstinence, or at least minor abstinence. I've got a long ride and run scheduled and don't want to be hungover for them. It hurts to much.
Speed Bike - 1:23:36 / 44.20 km / 31.7 kph
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10 comments:
And that's what they call 'turning the corner'! Enjoy training this weekend!
I agree with you, no lying about exercise.
I'm glad the workout has reset your 'moderation clock', and you feel as though you have turned the corner. Remember to have the odd beer though, it does seem to help you kick butt from your earlier posts.
Speaking of kicking butt, you were so right about the Cervelo frame. I'm loving it!
great that you're back to full training mode. I reckon that doing 21/2 IM merits a good partying break and you shouldn't let that drag you.
keep kicking butt on that bike!
Sooooooooo.... how did you get audio of Heather and my first date??? I mean, I didn't think anyone would find out about the gift card I tried to slip in with the bill.
hahaha, nice video. Heather went for the cheeseburger as well.
I hear you on training and blogging. I don't care if I have zero followers. I use the blog to stay "honest" with my training. If I don't workout I not only let myself down, I have to then tell everyone I was a chump.
Alright being serious here temporarily... Kona is your dream man. There will always be beer in your kegerator (well, unless you invite me back up there again) but there will NOT always be Kona. This is the race you did 3 ironmans for this year alone, why would you have a half ass experience there? Clean your act up and get it done man. You have plenty of time to get the right fuel in your body so don't throw this year out by sucking on the tap of the kegerator every night.
I know you don't want to race it crazy hard, but you want to be able to soak it up and enjoy it right? You need to be in good shape to do that.
Keep your head on straight and hopefully Alice is there to help.
Good luck this weekend. Should be some solid training!
Way to go, you're even setting a great example for me for a change. Seriously, it's frikkin tough to do the right thing when the wrong thing is so much more fun. I'm proud of you (if it's possible for me to be proud of you, mr. Kona qualifier). There will be plenty of time for parties post Kona.
Loved the video but loved the pic of you and the police care MORE.. OMG I am NOT missing next year's party.
you have put it out there to the masses! now you have to do it, 5 weeks of almost abstinence for Kona. Good on you! Train hard, stay healthy and have fun!
Love the picture of you with the police car.
Seriously, you have had one heck of a year, Kona is the cherry on top so to speak. This is your dream man, don't half-ass it. You will be so bummed if you hit Kona over trained for the post party, but under trained for the race.
Besides, I don't think you really lose your post-race party endurance. ha ha
The thing about you B, from what I can tell, is that when you do make a decision, you stick to it and carry it out. So it sounds like game on to me.
Can't wait to hear about your solid training this weekend.
Nice "Catch and Release" !!! haha
you and me both this month bro: lets eat and train right!
I was thinking of you last night on my ride, and how you set your goal this year and you fu#kng NAILED it through hard work and A LOT of SIU on that run in LP. you are fu#kng goin to KONA!!!!!
This has helped me so much as I try to give my goal (sub 3:20) another shot at Twin Cities Marathon in 4 weeks...my mental status right now = I can do it, I cant do it, I can do it, I cant do it, I can do it, I cant do it. etc etc
I'm grateful I found your blog as I know through watching you anything is possible...and what really needs to happen is I need to SIU on the back half!
have a great weekend
-D
sorry for the profanity on your blog I'm a little fired up this morning for some reason
Like many of your blog followers, I am into triathlons and drinking. Sometimes its is more drinking than triathlons. So, I know what you are going through.You need to get away from the Kegerator and pay more importance to Kona. I mean Kona is the ultimate IM race and you need to treat it accordingly. You did set a new PR at Clearwater last year and in my opinion you should try the same thing in Kona. Once you decide that, staying away from the beer it will become easy because you will have a great goal to focus on, which will give you all the all the motivation that you need.
On a different topic, today's picture is just priceless.
Have a great long weekend and best of luck with your training!
C, I am turning, I hope it's a corner and not a "round about". haha.
J, your right about that, I should have one or two, I just need to be real careful, my moderation switch is "flaky". Glad you like the frame, I love mine too.
V, true, and it was 2 3/4 Ironmans, but who's counting. hahaha.
M, first date, isn't that every date??? haha. Yup, the blog has paid off more than a few times to keep me on the straight an narrow. Your right about Kona and I'm on board with yah.
A, the key is to do the "right thing" in moderation. hahaha. Your right about post-Kona party, I plan on having one of those for sure!!! Yup, you should have come, you're guaranteed entertainment, haven't you learnt that by now. hahaha. "ya snooze, ya lose, AND you stay out of jail". hahaha
J, Thanks bro, I'll try HARD
M, yeah, up her in Canada, when we say "F#ck the Police" we mean it. She wasn't out of the car, so I had to do it to the car. hahaha. Your right, no half assing, but I may have to, one side of my ass really hurts from the wrestling match. hahaha.Thanks, it is game on.
D, I knew you'd like that line. haha. Thanks man, if I can do Kona, you can do a 3:20, I have not hesitation knowing that. Keep up the hard work and I KNOW you'll do it, you NAILED your first HIM. I'm glad you found my blog too, I enjoy your comments and reading you're blog too. Don't worry, I LOVE the profanity. It goes well with my subject matter that I post. hahaha.
D, your right, although setting a PB at Kona I don't think will happen, it's hot and I don't know if "lightning can strike twice". Yah, that is a one in a lifetime picture, I love the "beer glass" in my hand as well.
B
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