With the Calgary 70.3 behind me I am definitely feeling the physical and mental shift of having my A race for this year behind me. Don’t get me wrong…I still have a few races on my horizon (the Subaru Banff Olympic Triathlon on September 12th, possibly the Harvest Half Marathon on October 3rd, the Banff Winterstart 5 Miler on November 8th and the Phoenix Marathon on February 27th). Honestly I signed up for the Banff Olympic as a motivator to keep me going to the pool and to get me outside on my bike during August. With Ironman 70.3 St. George and Ironman Boulder planned for next year I am not wondering “what’s next?“
But wow, do my brain and body feel tired these days. I trained hard all year, pushing my body and getting out there even on days when I didn’t feel like it. I pretty well jumped from Ironman Boulder to Goofy Challenge training and straight into prepping for my 2015 season. I know I’ll be back working hard to achieve my goals very soon. For the moment I’m working to honor those feelings of tiredness and lethargy, but I am still trying to stay active and to have fun!
The other weekend Neil and I rode our bikes along the Bow River down to East Village. We locked our bikes up and popped into Charbar in the old Simmons Building for brunch.
I had their take on steak and eggs which was delicious!
We spent that afternoon relaxing in air conditioned comfort at the movie theatre with our niece. We saw Ant Man together, which was the first movie I’ve seen in the theatre in almost two years!
Last weekend we drove out to Canmore to ride the Legacy Trail to Banff. This was Neil’s first time riding the trail!
We each went at our own speeds and I really enjoyed the ride.
It is also hard to find a prettier spot for a brick run.
It has been great enjoying time on the patio, whether it is out in the mountains or in our own backyard. I might be looking for excuses to use my massive Calgary 70.3 beer stein. A growler of Gigantic Brewing IPA from Portland, Oregon (purchased at Vine Arts in Calgary) went down easily.
I also beefed up my medal display in my pain cave. I was running out of room on my initial rods for medals so I hung an extra one up on an offsetting wall. I also hung up a hand sketched picture from the Tinker Bell Pixie Dust Challenge that had been personalized with my race times.
I picked up a frame for the Calgary 70.3 poster and hung that on the wall as well.
I think I need to find more room for my race bibs though!
I have no doubt that I will mentally be back in the swing of things soon. I’m off to Bird Camp in Washington this weekend which will no doubt rejuvenate my spirit. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with old Oiselle friends and meeting new ones.
How do you feel once your A race is over? Do you get the post race blues? Does it take you awhile to feel ready to train again?
I definitely get post race blues. I find the motivation to workout after a A race really challenging. But eventually it comes back, usually by signing up for yet another race. Oh the vicious cycle!
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Yay Bird Camp – have so much fun!
I…..may need to talk to you about tri bike stuff, maybe. And I’ll need to ride or something, too. Hmmmmm. Ha.
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I’ve heard good things about Charbar but I haven’t gone yet. I’ll have to talk the boyfriend into it. He lives within walking distance of it.
Have fun in Washington. It looks like a beautiful state but I haven’t spent much time there.
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I do get the post race blues, but steak & eggs like that would help.
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Love all your displays. I usually don’t get post race blues. Especially if it goes well I am eager to continue the cycle and anxious to sign up for another race.
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I am guilty of falling into the post-race slump! For example, I’ve done next to nothing (until today) since the Lake Chaparral Sprint. And I was very very disciplined until the Turner Valley Tri- then things kind of fell apart for a bit- but I pulled it together after a rest. I think we all need some rest after chasing down our goals for the season- it helps keep burnout away! I’m looking forward to switching gears to a more cycling-focused training cycle, then moving into off-season plans. Knowing that things are shifting to a different gear make me feel better about being a bit slack this past week.
Enjoy the Banff Tri- I’m doing the Gran Fondo in Canmore that weekend, otherwise I’d be there too!
What an awesome way/place to display your racing accomplishments! I think that my medals are in a box somewhere right now… Like most of my life!
Sounds like you are approaching the off season with a good attitude – still staying active but without a major focus.
I definitely take time OFF after the “A” race. I feel that I actually race less and less as time goes by. Last year, after IM CdA, I didn’t race until October and it wasn’t anything big. This year, I actually have ZERO racing plans until 2016 – and those aren’t very firm at this point. I’m taking a huge break from swim/bike/run training which makes me nervous about 2016, but I think it will be okay.
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