Let's Tri This Again

Today I was something that I don’t often call myself: a spectator. The triathlon I signed up for a few months ago became out of the question last week after injuring myself, so this morning I found myself on the sidelines with my brother as my parents competed. Kind of backwards, I know!

2 weeks ago I was excited. I was starting to put in some higher volume training. I was feeling like I’d set a pr come this race.

Then, my birthday came and I found myself unable to do my favorite activity. My shin bothered me and since it didn’t clear up in a few days I got a bone scan to check things out. In the meantime I was swimming and biking to keep up. Until, I managed to pull some muscle in my hip. As I struggled to walk for a few days, it became apparent that I would not be able to take any part of the triathlon other than watching.

I spent several days inside in a sour mood. I tried to talk myself into a good attitude but it wasn’t working. Today I figured out why. I sometimes take myself too seriously. I was putting way too much pressure on myself and it took me watching 600 other people having fun to figure it out. I made this cross country season an all or nothing thing, sitting out last year and taking nothing in hopes that this year I would get it all (a dream season that is). I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. Determined to catch up to the rest of the NCAA all in one summer, I started training like crazy. 50, 60, 70 miles. Too much asphalt. Crash!

I didn’t pace myself. I made a rookie mistake in my fifth year of college running. That fact is what horrified me the most. I don’t have the results of the bone scan back yet to know whether it’s a fracture or not. Either way, once I get back to training, I’ll have to take it slower. I can't force things to happen. There are no short cuts in this sport. I may not run as fast as I anticipated this fall. But I’ll take that over not running at all.

Even though I did not race today, I made a mocha frappe worthy of getting me going at 5 am:

1 frozen banana

1 scoop Choc-a-lot Vega Energizing Smoothie

1 packet Starbucks Via instant coffee

1 tsp maca

¾ cup almond milk

8 ice cubes