Friday 1 January 2010

the ironman decision

HAPPY NEW YEAR training peeps. we made it, another year, a new decade. whoop whoop.

i've made a decision. a big fat NY decision. but first; totals!

this week i got my totals back up, most notably on a 19km run on boxing day. i'd have more totals if my stupid iphone apps hadn't been wiped. not that i'm bitter.

i'm finding it hard to recover from the long runs. two days and i can walk properly again, but it takes three or four for me to actually want to start training again. it takes so much out of me, and i'm sure recovery shouldn't be this hard.

okay, so maybe i need to eat more protein straight after the run. maybe i should be wearing those compression thingos. maybe running 19km is just damned hard and my body needs some time to get over it. grrrr.

ok, so decision time. i've been umming and arrring over the ironman. is next summer the right time, is france the right place, do i have the time to do this properly?

in short; i've decided against an IM France 2010 debut.

i made the decision looking at the IM and HIM races in Australia. the scenery, the ocean, the familiarity, the training. i compared this to my last race in the UK where the weather was so miserable it was like beating my body against a brick wall. made of ice.

it made me realise i don't need to do this NOW. this can wait. i'm going to achieve it, that is without question, but i don't need to rush this. we'll be moving back to Australia in the coming years, and even if this takes a bit longer than i thought, i can always head home to race.

when revealing this all last night, husband did actually physically recoil and question what i had done with the real Al. i'm a pretty classic over-achiever. i want things NOW. waiting isn't an option.

but i'm feeling good about this decision. half of my IM training would have been in winter and i'm already tired of training in the cold. i've had enough of those ice brick walls.

SO time to refocus. i'm going to concentrate on the two Olys next year, and work hard at these distances while still keeping 2011 IM at the back of my mind, slowly building my longer rides and runs. it hasn't been an easy decision to make, but there's not much about this business that is easy. and that's half the appeal :)








6 comments:

Colleen said...

That sounds like a very smart, well thought out plan. Australia does sound better, especially for you. I'm excited that you're still planning on it, and I'm glad you're going to do it at the right time so you can enjoy it. Training in the winter is NO fun! Good luck with your Oly training, that will still be fun, and challenging if you give yourself a good goal! That's kind of what I'm doing this year, but I am throwing a marathon and a half in there... My husband's like, "This is supposed to be your off year!" Ah, easier said than done.

teacherwoman said...

Sounds like a great decision! I look forward to following you in your training endeavors!

Ironman By Thirty said...

My Garmin pooped out 2 miles from the end of my 16 miler today, so I know how you feel about your iPhone. It just plain sucks. (I'm not bitter either).

It sounds like you are making a wise decision. I made a similar decision and decided to get a couple more HIMs under my belt before I jump into the IM.

Happy New Year and have a great 2010!!!

Anonymous said...

you know...if it feels comfortable...then go with it. IMs will always be there...and in the meantime..you can learnt o enjoy your winter training again and gear up for your 2010 A races...

Happy New Year

Big Daddy Diesel said...

Ironman will always be there. Waiting another year to work on all your disciplines can only benefit you. Good luck in 2010

tri_al said...

thanks guys (+girls!) - totally appreciate the comments :)