What goes up, must come down

It was great having three races in three weekends (Hill Free 10km, River Run Trail Series Half Marathon and Cromwell Half Marathon), but by the time I had finished the third I was mentally (and physically) exhausted and for the last week or so I have found it incredibly hard to train. Regardless of how I approach a race - whether it is 'just another training session', a targeted pace or an attempt at a PB - I always invest a lot of mental and emotional energy into it and that has been incredibly draining.

As I think I have mentioned before, in the week leading up I begin to visualise the race, running through the course in my head and going over what I will be doing and how I will be feeling at various points in the race. In training I focus much more on the technique and on doing the little thinsg right. I know I am no pro, but its in my make up to do these things, especially now that I have the advice of Coach Geoff to guide me along. This all creates an enormous amount of energy that makes you feel so incredibly alive in the lead up, but the high is inevitably folllowed by a low that is hard to get out of. 

Three weeks of high meant that there has been a pretty deep low to follow. It's not that this low has made me feel depressed or that I haven't wanted to train, its just that when I have trained it has been difficult to concentrate and even if the body is willing the mind is struggling to propel me forward (although, for obvious reasons, the body has been a bit tired too).

I have found that the best way to overcome the low is to train with someone else wherever possible. A run the other night with little bro' Chris and a ride with Coach Geoff the next day were much better sessions than any other. Its the swimming that I am finding the hardest to get back up for. I can maintain some good sets or reps, but never for more than 20 minutes or so. I guess it is a combination of the completely solitary nature of swimming (in the pool you are literally totally immersed in world of your own) and the fact that it takes (me) an incredible amount of concentration in an attempt to get everything just right (however futile that attempt is).

There is a 20km off-road running race this weekend that Geoff is doing and that he suggested I consider, but I have decided that I don't want to have another period of peaks and troughs. I am going to focus on getting up for the South Island Half Ironman on the 20th. Bring it on!

By the way the tendonitis is on the mend. I no longer have pain when I walk or run and, once things warm up in the morning, I have more mobility in my foot. Thanks to Geoff's magic touch - he is the most amazing massage therapist in the world. It's amazing having a coach that is so good at motivating me, so technically savvy and who knows and understands how my body works and how to repair it when it is broken.