Not Normal Workout Week

According to the weather forecast, this past weekend was supposed to be a total washout. In fact, the weather was perfect right through late Sunday afternoon. I wish I could also say my workouts were perfect, but that was not the case.

My Friday workouts must have zapped a lot of my strength for the Saturday ride. I was supposed to go 60 miles, which I had to do by 8am in order to be home on time to coach my son’s soccer game. I needn’t have worried. I was so tired that all I could muster was 7.5 miles. It would have been worthless to try to go further as I was going so slow that there was little if any training benefit to continue pushing.

Besides soccer coach with my son, I did get in some additional exercise in the form of rollerblading. My kids wanted to rollerblade instead of ride their bikes, so I broke out with mine for the first time in about 11 years. I really don’t like rollerblading, but if it makes the kids happy, I’ll do it also.

Sunday’s workout was a bit better. I was supposed to go up to 20 miles, depending on how my hamstring felt. Fortunately, it did not give me any trouble, but I did feel some twinging in a groin muscle. I really seem to be falling apart this year. Anyway, while I ran, the Citytri Duathlon was being held in Prospect Park and I sort of wished I was participating. Sometimes you just want the joy of racing even though you really should be training. In any event, I did 10 decent miles, which just about took everything out of me. I ran another two slow miles and then headed home.

I wrote to my coach afterwards asking him if I should be worried that I couldn’t do 20 miles. His response was

Charles,

No, don't be concerned. This week was not normal - business travel, hamstring pain, lousy weather.

But, you trained almost every day (did you miss any days? Maybe just the day you returned). Consistency is the first key, and you have been consistent. What you say and what you think does not detract from your consistency nor from what you've accomplished.

Next week, stay focused, get at least one workout in each day. Psych your self up for the weekend long workouts.

I hear him, but it just seems as though most of my weeks have been not normal. So much so that a “normal” week is more like a “not normal” week. I will just have to be consistent with my workouts and at least do something everyday.

Perhaps I started this week off as a normal week. I almost bailed out on my run today, but forced myself to get it in this morning. I was thinking I'd do it this evening, but knew I probably wouldn't. I'd use the rain and being too tired as excuses. I had woken up late and wanted to see my kids off to school, so I was really hesitating to go.

I did it though and as reward, I saw a parking spot on the correct side of the side of the road for alternate side parking so I was able to move my car so my wife wouldn't have to worry about it and I made it back before the rain began and saw my children as they were walking out the door for school. I only did 3 out of my 4 scheduled miles, but that looks like it was the right thing to do. Had I gone the extra mile, I would have returned home cold, wet and missed my kids.

Sometimes things just work out.