Goodbye, 2014 triathlon season! I kid, I kid. Sort of. Ha ha.
Anyway, I figured out pretty early that something was amiss - while we were having an unbearably hot and humid summer, my long runs were holding steady. At the end of September, I noticed that I could barely hold my "easy" pace, and on work days I was falling asleep at 6pm and sleeping through the night, dead to the world. It took me exactly 2 weeks of this schedule to figure it out. I took a test, which confirmed my suspicions within seconds. I took two more, just to be sure!!!
Long story short - I have been feeling fantastic. The doctors gave me the green lights to train as I normally would, but to drink a lot of water and to listen to my body. My runs have turned to more of a walk, but I suspect that has more to do with taking two months off from exercise than from growing a person.
This lack of exercise was painfully obvious this past weekend when I surprised everyone by actually showing up for a group ride (remember that part I said about being extremely tired?) - and early, to boot! The plan was to ride 20 miles, and I figured that would not be a problem. At first, I was uncomfortable - by no means do I have a flat stomach or visible abs, but I never actually had a belly that hung over my waistband. Once I got used to the added pressure on my poor bladder, I didn't seem to notice much.
About 5 miles in, legs spinning like crazy to keep up, I knew 20 miles was too much for me. I did the best I could, but man alive, were my legs tired! I told my companions that I was going to turn at the 7.5 mile marker, assured them I would be fine on my own, and headed back down the trail, moseying along at 15mph.
During my solo ride, I thought about how lucky I have been - from being athletic from a very young age, to surviving non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, to getting back in shape from gaining weight from treatments, to coaching basketball, running marathons and triathlons . . . I've never been "slim," but I've never been overweight, either. I thought about all of those people out there who are being active, and how difficult it is for beginners or people beginning again, and I was overcome with inspiration.
I want to thank everyone out there who is active - whether you have only recently begun swimming, walking, Zumba-ing, strength training, etc. or you are a seasoned marathoner, cyclist and/or Ironman. You all inspire me to get out the door, to get more out of myself than sometimes I feel like doing. So when you don't feel like lacing up those shoes or heading to the pool, remember that you are inspiring others, and we are so very thankful.
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