Update on the Toe and training

So, I can bike and swim I just can't run.  In place of running I will do the elliptical.  Yes, it will stink to ride the elliptical for 1:40 minutes this weekend but I can handle it.  Next week is rest week so that means nothing to crazy on the elliptical or boring.  Then I have one more week and I can handle that. :)  

OK everyone, brace yourself, I'm about to explain to you something that portrays me in an emotionally vulnerable state.  If you can't handle it now is the time to stop reading.  

So I'm riding on Tuesday with the group and were doing an intense brick session which is made up of a 20 minute bike warm up, 15 minutes running, then a 50 minute really hard slow cadence set, followed by 30 minutes of running.  After my the first group run, where I am on the elliptical, I get back on the bike and I start thinking about how bad it is that I can't run. I can look at the other athletes next to me who just ran and I can see the huge fitness gains they made during that run and I can see the lack of fitness gains I made with my time on the elliptical.  That turns into a panic that I will lose everything I've been working toward.  My faster paced mile in zone 2 that I've achieved this season, my faster turn over, the longer stride, everything.  Gone, out the window.  All of it, I mine as well give up now because there is no chance I will beat my run time from last year.  NO WAY IN HE$#, and this broken toe it to blame for it.  

Next thing I know, I look at myself in the mirror and there are tears swelling up in my eyes.  I quickly drop my head down so I'm down deep in my aero bars and no one can see my face, better yet so my coach can't see that I might be on the verge of tears.  I'm afraid of crying in front of her.  She's not the 'warm and fuzzy' type, she's the 'suck it up and grow a pair' type.  I take my towel and wipe my face down and just tell myself to focus on what I'm doing now, focus on making this workout the best workout it can be and that I need to shut up about the next three weeks cause nothing it going to change between now and the end of the workout.    

This is part of why I love training for an Ironman.  Learning how to work through the bumps instead of letting it get in the way of my goal.   That's what it is about.  This training challenges us in ways we never expected.  Is not running for three weeks a positive thing for my training? No.  But it's not something that will stop me from finishing.  Not running for three weeks when it's 4 1/2 months out from the race is something that I can work through and gain mental toughness from.  

So last night I showed up to masters swim practice ready to show this "bump in the road" that it was not going to get in the way of my goal.  Yes, I was ready to throw down just for the sake of throwing down.    I was happy I had made it to practice cause we had a nice hard set.  Below is the workout in case your interested.  

Warm Up

400 swim

300 pull

200 IM

Main Set

2X through: 30 seconds rest between each 300

300: alternating: 25 finger drag and 3rd breath, 25 with only 2 breaths, 25 swim

300: every 100 on the 1:40

300: IM

8 X 50 Kick 

500 Pull

200 Swim

200 cool down

 

Nothing like a bunch of 300s to get my head back in the game!