Feeling lost

Its been two weeks since our triathlon and I am feeling a little lost. We spent 20 weeks training for this event. I had a big dry erase board in my workout room that showed all my planned training for each month. It was really a no-brainer. I saw the schedule, I did what was on the schedule. There was no wiggle room. I didn't get up and say "I don't want to run today, maybe I'll bike instead". Honestly - I loved that. I don't usually like to be told what to do - but I really liked just knowing what I had to do.

These last two weeks, I haven't really known what to do. I came up with kind of a plan, but then I would change it based on how I felt. That's good, since I was recovering from a tough event. But that has to stop now because I am feeling lost and I don't like that.

This past week was better than the week before. I had a little more direction and focus. I am sure next week will be even better. We have a sprint triathlon in September and the marathon in October. So I'll keep up the pretty even mix of biking, running and some swimming until Sept 12th, then I'll focus a bit more on the running since the marathon is the next big event.

Over the winter, I'd like to continue working on my strength. The last two years I have really worked on that and I have seen a huge improvement in how I handle the stress of a longer event. It is amazing how much a strong core, upper body and legs can help hold you up after you've been moving for 6 hours! During the run portion of Lake Stevens, when my legs felt like they'd had enough, I felt like I carrying the weight of my body in my core. I felt strong and centered and I liked feeling that way. I think back to how I felt during my marathon 7 years ago. All I did during that training was run. My body was no where near as strong as it is now and I totally fell apart just after the mid point of that run. This year, I'll be stronger.

So, while I am feeling lost, I am getting back on track. I'm mapping out the next few weeks and that map will be my guide. Back to the no-brainer way of doing things. That's how I like it!!