Saturday, September 14, 2019

Journey to Kona Day 221: The Training and Fatigue Dichotomy

Yesterday was a remarkable day.  The six hours of cycling were compounded by extreme heat.  I woke up this morning and I was tired.  Not too tired, but tired nevertheless.  I drove to the pool, and as I prepared to get in the water, I looked over at the jacuzzi and thought to myself, I'd rather be there.  I swam for about 20 minutes, and the only thing that I could think of was how tired I was.  So, I got in the jacuzzi.  After getting back home, I alternated between laying on the floor watching television and taking a nap.  I was definitely tired.  At the same time, I felt no soreness.  The six hours on the bike left no major impact on my muscles.  But it did leave me quite fatigued, though probably more from the heat than from the cycling.  Preparing for an ironman is as much about off loading fatigue as it is allowing the muscles to heal and recover.

My present plan for tomorrow is to run up to 20 miles, and no longer than 3 hours.  The way I feel today, the idea feels a little daunting.  Not because my legs are sore, or even weak.  I'm just tired today.  However, I remember how I felt just a little more than a week ago, and how quickly I both recovered and did some heavy duty training.  Theoretically, I could rest another day and do my run on Monday. On the other hand, the epitome of ironman training is running with fatigue.

It's kind of funny.  Despite my fatigue today, I'm looking forward to running tomorrow. I want to maximize my fatigue before I start my taper.  And, I want to start my taper!  Somehow, I think that this dichotomy is a good thing.  I know that I will successfully be able to shed my fatigue over four weeks.  I also know that starting that four weeks of tapering without feeling sore is a good thing. I should be able to keep training in a way that keeps my muscles stimulated.  This should be fun.

There are four weeks left before Kona.  My coach and I will start working out my tapering plan on Tuesday.  I expect to feel pretty tired on Monday.  I know that I've been living a bit on the edge in terms of fatigue for a little while.  That's what ironman training is all about.  It's a remarkable test of the human body, physiology and spirit. We push ourselves, and we recover. We push ourselves some more and we recover some more.  When our key race is coming up, the dynamic changes.  Kona is more than my key race.  It's my dream, and I want so much to go into it at my best.  I want to see what I can do on the iconic course that is known to define the human spirit.  The course itself isn't that difficult, but the conditions are often epic.  There may be wind.  There will be heat and humidity. There will be lava fields and no shade.  It will be Kona. It's time to start getting ready!

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