A Reboot, A Reset or a Mid-Season Crisis
Four months ago, I completed my first 100 mile ultra marathon. Since then - athletically speaking - I've been adrift.
Not inactive. Most weeks, I'm out there five to six days per week. Even in a particularly bad week, I'm out there four times.
But by adrift, I mean without a plan. Without a goal. I've done several small races and I've talked about doing several large races. But large races (in my world) require commitment to a plan and executing on that plan. I know people who go to big races unprepared. I've done it a few times, myself. I don't like it. I realized a while ago that there are two ways you can approach endurance sports. You can make time for them or you can find time for them. If you make time for them, the workout WILL happen. You will adjust your life and sleep around it. If you find time for them, most days you'll get the workouts in, but when the life gets in the way, oh well. For most of the past six years, I've been making time. Since March, I've been finding time.
Some of this, I know, was inevitable. You can only chase bigger goals so long and a hundred mile run is fairly big. After that, I needed to be content chasing smaller goals more aggressively (eg getting faster at 50 milers), but I haven't quite got myself psyched to do that. And, truth be told, I haven't really had the gumption to do five hour runs since then. See, that's one of the things about ultra running for me. I need to let enough time get behind me to forget how hard it is, so I'm silly enough to do it again. And I'm not there, yet.
So in light of this, I've shifted the focus. For the past two weeks, I've been on my bike a few times and running a few times. All of this is aiming toward my first duathalon in early September, followed by my first century ride 3 weeks later. Every time I've ridden before, I haven't been pleased with my results and I don't know that I'm expecting anything amazing this time. I figure one of two things will happen. Either I'll enjoy multisport and have a slate of new goals to chase or I'll miss the soul searching five hour runs that begin when the sun is sneaking up and put a new ultra on my calendar. In either case, I'll be heading in the direction of something, though, and for me, that makes all of the difference.
Not inactive. Most weeks, I'm out there five to six days per week. Even in a particularly bad week, I'm out there four times.
But by adrift, I mean without a plan. Without a goal. I've done several small races and I've talked about doing several large races. But large races (in my world) require commitment to a plan and executing on that plan. I know people who go to big races unprepared. I've done it a few times, myself. I don't like it. I realized a while ago that there are two ways you can approach endurance sports. You can make time for them or you can find time for them. If you make time for them, the workout WILL happen. You will adjust your life and sleep around it. If you find time for them, most days you'll get the workouts in, but when the life gets in the way, oh well. For most of the past six years, I've been making time. Since March, I've been finding time.
Some of this, I know, was inevitable. You can only chase bigger goals so long and a hundred mile run is fairly big. After that, I needed to be content chasing smaller goals more aggressively (eg getting faster at 50 milers), but I haven't quite got myself psyched to do that. And, truth be told, I haven't really had the gumption to do five hour runs since then. See, that's one of the things about ultra running for me. I need to let enough time get behind me to forget how hard it is, so I'm silly enough to do it again. And I'm not there, yet.
So in light of this, I've shifted the focus. For the past two weeks, I've been on my bike a few times and running a few times. All of this is aiming toward my first duathalon in early September, followed by my first century ride 3 weeks later. Every time I've ridden before, I haven't been pleased with my results and I don't know that I'm expecting anything amazing this time. I figure one of two things will happen. Either I'll enjoy multisport and have a slate of new goals to chase or I'll miss the soul searching five hour runs that begin when the sun is sneaking up and put a new ultra on my calendar. In either case, I'll be heading in the direction of something, though, and for me, that makes all of the difference.
You sound like you're right where you should be after such a big event (but what do I know).
ReplyDeleteAfter my 100 mile bike ride last year I was totally uninterested in cycling for the rest of the season. Now that some time has passed (and I managed to break my bike), I'm really missing it.
Hang in there and follow your instincts.