[follow_me]
This is supposed to be the dramatic conclusion of a daring experiment to take 10 Days of Rest during peak triathlon training. And as the days run out, I am once again sitting here naked to the world with nothing left to hide my fears.
For most of this recovery period, I was committed to leg strengthening and stretching, but on Day 10, I took my rest seriously. I came home after work, took a nap, ate, then settled into bed to read “The Art of Learning.”
At 11 o’clock, I set the book down, turned off the lights, and closed my eyes. But I couldn’t sleep.
I tossed and turned with a thousand thoughts, one being visualization of swim, bike and run in Louisville. I was floating through all three as a ghost, carried by the momentum of my spirit. It was a lot easier without all the pounding.
This went on for about a half hour, and I passed it off as being excited to train again. If ten days of rest did anything, it gave me a bit of my mojo back.
I’d planned on doing all these little things that were mounting in my life. Deep cleans around the house, crazy amounts of yard work, maybe even some painting. I finally had some TIME!
But not much of that happened. In fact, I found myself wasting more time and even a bit lethargic. I started thinking about the reality of Ironman training as it relates to time, and how I have a tendency to inflate that commitment.
It’s really easy to let your activities expand into the time allowed, and for me that often translates into premature optimization. It’s a weird thing because the word “busy” has such negative connotations. I’m so damn busy. But, really, how busy are we?
I have not spent much time watching TV during this rest run, but I have certainly averaged at least a couple hours a day (including Netflix). Hell, last night alone I spent 30 minutes trying to FIND something to watch on Netflix. Which eventually brought me to this: Salinger.
I must confess, while I am fascinated by writing and writers, I’ve never read J.D. Salinger’s the Catcher in the Rye. I have, however read Catcher in the Wry, which was a comedy of errors by Bob Uecker. You “hear” about stuff, but I never realized the impact the Catcher in the Rye had on society. He wrote that book in 1951. It has sold over 63 million times and it STILL moves 250,000 copies a year!
While watching the film, I became the triathlete version of J.D. Salinger later in his life. Alone, in isolation, sorting out my next move. Ten days of rest. Out of the spotlight. Was I working, or just sitting in a cement block cabin in the back yard falling into triathlon obscurity?
That was the questions dozens of Crushing Iron readers from around the world, er, Middle Tennessee were asking. Will this guy ever compete again? Will he ever freely endorse Kiwami or Pearl Izumi tri gear again? Or will he write the deepest, darkest novel ever written about taking 10 Days of Rest during peak triathlon season, only to be released after he dies?
Oh, the drama that ensues with an idle mind.
Which brings me back to my point. There is always enough time for training. At peak season you’re doing 20 hours a week, which is a lot, but the max, and frankly, I’m not sure I ever got close to that last year (though I’m sure I said I did). In fact, this guy is doing a “180” on traditional Ironman training. I look forward to seeing what he learns.
What’s fascinating about Ironman is, yes, it is a very difficult race, but so much has changed since the initial athletes took off for the inaugural event in 1977. They had no clue what they were doing. True pioneers without a map heading off into the uncharted sunset. Now we have all these things to point us in the right direction, and thousands and thousands of people who have shown us the way. It’s nowhere near as mysterious.
So, what have I learned over these 10 Days? I’m honestly not sure yet. I think I’ll have a clearer picture after this weekend.
Tonight, I swim. Tomorrow, I ride the Trace. Sunday I run. The goal is to do the equivalent of a Half Ironman over the weekend.
The reason I’m holding off on a Louisville decision is totally mental. Do I have the desire to train like I want to train or will I be setting myself up for the misery of a Salinger isolation? We should know sometime early next week.
