Trials and Triathlons

This last month has been very difficult. I think I resumed training before my body was ready to do so, and my back hasn’t cooperated, nor my legs, for the most part. Lesson learned, after missing a half marathon, and having to postpone the next full triathlon.

So I signed up for another full-distance race, this one, HITS Palm Springs, on 3 December. Here’s how I feel about doing another:

Looks like fun! I love Palm Springs, especially late in the year.

I hate the taper period. The psychological warfare and anxiety that occurs before the big race is difficult, the body, which has somehow found its groove in a never-ending onslaught of pain and suffering, is restless. So I’ve been reading sports psychology books lately, to find encouragement in how other athletes find their mojo. It has helped tremendously. The books:

How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle, Matt Fitzgerald (link)

The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive, Jim Afremow (link)

Both books excel in identifying athletes (and their experiences) who have overcome the psychological challenges of elite athletics, while making major points in the analysis, so that the process and the outcomes for their success can be understood and implemented in amateur athlete (or even non-athlete) lives. 

I’m finally tapering for Louisville, so I have some time to write. 

It’s May already?! I trust Fink’s training plan. This is a light week, which is good in a couple ways. For one, my IT band bothered me a bit on the last two runs, so I could use the extra time for stretching. Second, I have my daughter a lot this week, so I get to spend more time playing with her -- Awesome :)

Here’s the quick and dirty list of the gear I use while swimming, both training and racing (links go to Amazon):

Happy May Day! Am I officially a triathlete?