Half Way, Week 23, Suffering

Can’t believe it, but I am now at week 23 of a 46 week training protocol for my Lake Placid preparation and with taper, HALF-WAY THERE! To be candid, preparation actually started 3 years ago with endurance sports, marathons etc. As of late, it’s been brutal getting out in the mornings hitting the pavement at 5AM in complete darkness and sub 25 degrees for I don’t know how many weeks. I’m now back into plus 20 hour training to areas I can’t even imagine or explain. I say that every week and my relatives put me on “mute” every time they come into contact with me! This is why I now have more Triathlon friends!!

Coach Jesse informed me that after my next half marathon in Hyannis on Feb 22, that my training will be a constant press until July with three Half Iron’s, Ironman, Bike Time Trials and lord know's what else!

Suffering…
Recently I was reading an article about a famous tri coach Brett Sutton who coached Chrissie Wellington and many other famous athletes. Sutton went on to say(paraphrasing here)that many US athletes don’t amount to much because they are wimps and can’t master suffering. In essence he said we were soft. So, that got me thinking, how am I with suffering? Can I use my mind to push through suffering? I’ve done it in the past with other barriers. Do I suffer enough while I train? Should I be pushing HR limits and making progress every training session or is that even possible? I have no problem braving the cold and conditions, but do I really lay it on the line in training? How can I expect to master the ultimate suffering if I’m not preparing each and every day? So, through the half way point, I’ve learned how to completely destroy myself and then let my body recover with rest, nutrition and all of the incredible wisdom of my coach. The protocol has been amazing. As I was told, follow the protocol and all of the micro cycles and the rest will take care of itself. Consistency is paramount. It certainly has and thank you www.qt2systems.com!

Below are some of the milestones/ areas I can look back on at the half-way point.
-Accomplished all training goals
-Went from 160 to 147
-Completed all lifting sessions as prescribed
-Fast 5K
-12% at 149 weight after first build phase
-Running Speed picked up greatly
-Keeping sleep logs now
-Diet and nutrition plan is solid
-Swim per 100Yds avg 1:31 from 2:05
-Competed in my first swim meet while having to ride and run before each day
And many more….
The only real hurdles, things that caught me off-guard:
-Stress on family
-Need for complete communication on calendar for work and home
-Fragile foot from stress fracture
-How easy it is to function on 4 hours of sleep when I really need 7.9
-That I’m a classic over-achiever and that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to pushing through pain
-Not listening to my body when I need to
-How much I need to push myself In order for it to feel good
-How many showers I need in one day
-How little time I have for anything else

I can’t believe I’m doing this!!! Living like this is like being two people or having another full-time job along-side of a busy financial planning practice, four wonderful children, etc. I’m confident I will look back onto this period with great pride as I do with each and every day I’m allowed to push to higher-highs. I thank all of you for your words of wisdom and encouragement. Hang in there with me until week 47!!