Ironman Canada is over. Training is over. I have all the free time in the world to do whatever I want. You would think that after training for 6 months, I would be excited to get my life back... but the feeling is totally the opposite. Sadness, let down, feeling lost... what do I do when I don't train? Am I still an Ironman when I'm not training for one? What next? What now?
PID's - Post Ironman Depression - Definitely dealing with this post race.
I've always felt a little let down after marathons, but I've never put as much of myself into a race as I did for Ironman, so the letdown has been pretty huge. The worst part about the weeks after race day is being unable to workout to make yourself feel better and get those endorphin's flowing. You can start swimming again a few days after the race, but I got an m-dot tattoo last week (first tattoo ever - WOW, tattoos hurt...) so no swimming for me for a couple weeks. We're allowed to start biking after a week off and running after two weeks. ALL I want to do is run, but only 6 more days and I'll get back into it. I'll start biking again tomorrow to see how that feels. Everything I read keeps saying to just take it easy and let my body heal, but that's a lot harder than you'd think. I've worked out 6-7 days a week for the last 6 months. Now I'm supposed to "take a couple weeks off?" I'm dying.
Luckily I was busy all weekend and barely noticed I didn't spend 4-8 hours each day working out. Had a fabulous day Saturday at Kelsey's bachelorette party! We went all over the city on a party bus and danced all night. Loved it, love her. Can't wait for her wedding in Hawaii in less than 3 weeks!!!! Sunday we spent a ton of time with family, spent some time on Lake Washington, and said goodbye to Chelsey and Stephen. Had such a great time with them in town!
Three days after the race, once I was finally able to walk like a normal human being again, I decided I was going to do another Ironman next year. Post Ironman Depression is NOT fun and I cannot wait to start training again. While there were some moments during the race I swore to myself I would never do another Ironman, overall I loved it. It's also hard to imagine having a spouse train for Ironman and not train for it alongside them, Isaac and I would have to spend way too much time apart and it was clear he wanted to do another race. So, we signed up for Ironman Boulder today (race on August 7th, 2016). I'm ready to do more focused training, improve my weakness (cycling) and aim for an actual time goal next year. I still have ultra marathons on my to-do list, but I think I'll keep doing Ironman for a while.
Doing Ironman for the first time is really expensive. You have to get a decent bike, a wetsuit, all kinds of bike components (aerobars, clip-in pedals, tool kits, spare tubes and CO2 cartridge, helmet, clip-in shoes, water bottle cages, etc), a trainer so you can ride inside, bike clothing, a pool membership, etc. So many expenses. Isaac and I spent over $15k getting everything we needed for Ironman Canada. It'll be nice to not have to buy all new stuff, but I am looking forward to getting an actual tri bike. Last year I bought a road bike and converted it into a semi tri bike - added clip-in pedals and aerobars. Getting an actual tri bike will mean I have gear shifters in my aerobars and can stay in the aero position to switch gears, not have to hop up and down constantly. Tri bikes are more aerodynamic in general and are quicker. I'd say 75% of the athletes at Ironman Canada had legit tri bikes. I'm ready to join the club!
Sh*t Triathletes say... hilarious. I've sounded like this guy way too much this year.
I'm feeling PIDS a lot less now that we've signed up for another race. The countdown is technically 369 days, but we'll start training in February. 6 months to enjoy other hobbies (so much more yoga in my future). The Kirkland Triathlon is in a month and a half, still debating if I want to race such a short distance and suit up for that race. TBD.
Can't WAIT for Ironman Boulder!
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PID's - Post Ironman Depression - Definitely dealing with this post race.
I've always felt a little let down after marathons, but I've never put as much of myself into a race as I did for Ironman, so the letdown has been pretty huge. The worst part about the weeks after race day is being unable to workout to make yourself feel better and get those endorphin's flowing. You can start swimming again a few days after the race, but I got an m-dot tattoo last week (first tattoo ever - WOW, tattoos hurt...) so no swimming for me for a couple weeks. We're allowed to start biking after a week off and running after two weeks. ALL I want to do is run, but only 6 more days and I'll get back into it. I'll start biking again tomorrow to see how that feels. Everything I read keeps saying to just take it easy and let my body heal, but that's a lot harder than you'd think. I've worked out 6-7 days a week for the last 6 months. Now I'm supposed to "take a couple weeks off?" I'm dying.
Luckily I was busy all weekend and barely noticed I didn't spend 4-8 hours each day working out. Had a fabulous day Saturday at Kelsey's bachelorette party! We went all over the city on a party bus and danced all night. Loved it, love her. Can't wait for her wedding in Hawaii in less than 3 weeks!!!! Sunday we spent a ton of time with family, spent some time on Lake Washington, and said goodbye to Chelsey and Stephen. Had such a great time with them in town!
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| Thank you team for the koozies! |
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| Such a great night with a great group of ladies |
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| Thanks Chelsweets for the yummy Ironman treats! |
Three days after the race, once I was finally able to walk like a normal human being again, I decided I was going to do another Ironman next year. Post Ironman Depression is NOT fun and I cannot wait to start training again. While there were some moments during the race I swore to myself I would never do another Ironman, overall I loved it. It's also hard to imagine having a spouse train for Ironman and not train for it alongside them, Isaac and I would have to spend way too much time apart and it was clear he wanted to do another race. So, we signed up for Ironman Boulder today (race on August 7th, 2016). I'm ready to do more focused training, improve my weakness (cycling) and aim for an actual time goal next year. I still have ultra marathons on my to-do list, but I think I'll keep doing Ironman for a while.
Doing Ironman for the first time is really expensive. You have to get a decent bike, a wetsuit, all kinds of bike components (aerobars, clip-in pedals, tool kits, spare tubes and CO2 cartridge, helmet, clip-in shoes, water bottle cages, etc), a trainer so you can ride inside, bike clothing, a pool membership, etc. So many expenses. Isaac and I spent over $15k getting everything we needed for Ironman Canada. It'll be nice to not have to buy all new stuff, but I am looking forward to getting an actual tri bike. Last year I bought a road bike and converted it into a semi tri bike - added clip-in pedals and aerobars. Getting an actual tri bike will mean I have gear shifters in my aerobars and can stay in the aero position to switch gears, not have to hop up and down constantly. Tri bikes are more aerodynamic in general and are quicker. I'd say 75% of the athletes at Ironman Canada had legit tri bikes. I'm ready to join the club!
Sh*t Triathletes say... hilarious. I've sounded like this guy way too much this year.
I'm feeling PIDS a lot less now that we've signed up for another race. The countdown is technically 369 days, but we'll start training in February. 6 months to enjoy other hobbies (so much more yoga in my future). The Kirkland Triathlon is in a month and a half, still debating if I want to race such a short distance and suit up for that race. TBD.
Can't WAIT for Ironman Boulder!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
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