What a week

This week has been crazy. Here I was thinking I was over my cold, only to have it come back full force. After the race on Sunday, I started to feel weak and sick again. Since then, I have not done many workouts. The workouts I have done have been pretty tame. I am avoiding the pool altogether for two reasons. One, it tires me out more than the other sports and I am left feeling exhausted for the rest of the day. The second reason is that I don't want to infect anyone else on the Lifesport team. There are already two or three people with the same cold, and I don't want to spread it.

One thing I have been reflecting on during this impromptu break, is the recent mental block I have been feeling in training. Being a hockey fan, I always wondered what it would be like for a top draft pick to go from being the best player in his junior league to the NHL, filled with guys that were all the best in their leagues, but 30 pounds heavier and stronger. I think I have been experiencing a bit of that this year.

Last year, almost all of my workouts consisted of me being near the top of the heap in ability. This year, I have taken the leap and joined a team, as well as decided to do workouts with other people outside of triathlon. It has been humbling to say the least. I'm not saying that I used to think I was hot s#$*t or anything, but I do think you workout better when you feel good about your fitness. This year, I swim with people that kick my ass every practice, do tempo runs with people like Nick
Best, and bike with cyclists that are 10 times better than I am. In fact, this week I ran with Nick, and felt as slow as I have felt in 2 years. I actually felt sorry for him. When we talked about it, he thought that we were going at a pretty decent pace, just as quick or quicker as in the past. I could be getting faster, but you wouldn't know it running with Nick, or swimming and biking with other people in my group.

All of this challenges the mental side of triathlon. The strongest can accept the humility and strive to one day be the best. The weak can't handle the crushed ego of stepping up a level. I hope I am the former.

Anyhow, I am taking one more full day off and hoping that I can be ready to roll next week. I had a bike fit last week and I am dying to get on it and test it out.