Besides being busy and highly stressful, this week represents something more comforting. Well...I take that back. This observation is also stressful: There are just three weeks (21 days) until the half-Ironman, and my graduation follows three days later.
Time is short, so I'm paying attention to every little thing I do. Here's what I've noticed about both training and life in general.
1. Stay hydrated. I tried a 40-minute tempo run last night, but I spent three hours walking around the Knoxville Zoo without water. So around 35 minutes, the wheels came off, leaving me lightheaded, dizzy and with a little bit of chest pain.
2. It doesn't matter how fit you look -- it matters how fit you are. "You look fit" is the best, most nebulous compliment you can pay a runner, as this blog entry points out. Read the comments, and it's amazing how often this is thrown around. I've heard variations ("Your legs are skinny! I mean, you have runners' legs..." and "You look thin. . .") just in the two days since I read this.
3. Pay somebody to work on your bike. I've been riding bikes for 17 years, and I still screwed up my drivetrain in less than five seconds with a few wrong twists of the barrel adjuster. It took me 30 minutes to even get it close to fixed. Either take up an apprenticeship, or get a favorite bike shop and mechanic.
4. Take care of yourself. Get in a habit of eating right after a workout, taking cold/ice baths after hard runs and bike rides, using anti-chafe cream, wearing proper clothing, stretching...the list goes on. Neglecting any one of those things can throw off all the hard training you do. That's why my website is called "an active lifestyle." To race your best, you have to live your best.
Until next time, peace, love and chain grease.
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