I admittedly didn’t have much down time between Ironman and starting back on a training plan. Luckily my new training plan had me starting back nice and easy, taking in to mind that I was still recovering from Ironman. There were plenty of different activities to mix things up – hiking, stair workouts.
When I did Ironman in 2010 I was burned out by the time the race was over. I had no desire to see a pool, my bike or my running shoes. I did nothing for a full month and when I started running again I was slow and felt completely out of shape. It seemed to take a long time for me to get back and enjoy training again.
This time I didn’t feel burned out once Ironman was over. I think being injured for a big chunk of this year had something to do with it. I really didn’t click in to full training mode until June some time because I was struggling with those darn injuries.
I’m feeling good being back on a plan and preparing for the Goofy Challenge in January. The hiking that I got to do in September helped to build strength, not to mention it felt so good to be out in the mountains, enjoying the beauty with my husband and friends. It feels great to incorporate strength training back in to my routine now. I’m also enjoying the speed work that has been thrown in my program. I’m hoping that I’m on the right track to get some of my old speed back…back when I could run those sub-60 minute 10Ks. Training is fun right now (and a lot less time consuming then it was in July and August) and I’m really enjoying that!
How about you? What are you up to these days?
I’m enjoying finding a balance between life in general, and workouts. We’re doing the ballet tonight. The ballet! Can you imagine? Oh, that would be watching, not doing, I suppose.
I’ve been enjoying doing shorter workouts, pushing a bit harder, and ending before I’m totally knackered. I figure since I’m not training for IM, there’s no need to go over the top or anything.
Sounds like a good balance. When I started triathlons, I felt like I needed to go full tilt all the time. Now, I’m realizing that sometimes you have to take it a bit easier for a while.
I think it’s awesome that you are mixing it up with hiking and having fun while jumping back into your training right away. We do this because we love it and when it gets to a point that it’s not fun anymore…. it’s not… fun. So good luck on the rest of your training! 🙂
It’s great that you’re jumping back in right off the bat. That’s probably the best route. Now that you’ve completed an Ironman, what would your first piece of advice be for a person preparing for their first Ironman?