Journey to Kona Day 242: Listening to Our Body, 2015 and IM #8

As I sit here in Kona and reflect on 2015, I'm struck by the difference in how I approached this year and this race.  A year ago, I was a workaholic.  I was under tremendous stress and pressure.  I wasn't training.  This year has been all about getting to Kona and giving it everything I have.  It's also been about listening to my body in other ways.  I started the year recovering from my last job.  I definitely had PTSD and some degree of depression.  I'm here in Kona feeling at greater peace than I've felt in a long time, maybe ever.  A good part of getting to this point has to do with listening to the signals, and staying in the moment.

In reviewing my race report for my 8th Ironman, 2015 Ironman Boulder, it all began to come back to me.  2015 did not work out as planned!  Nothing in life ever does.  I had signed up for three Ironman races, as that had worked in 2014.  I wasn't "working" when the year started, though I was dealing with some highly stressful investments.  I could focus on my training.  The first reality was that 2014 had probably left me in a state of adrenal fatigue.  Was it the training? The racing? The life stresses? All of the above?  I  started the year in great run shape.  On January 25th, everything changed.  I'd done a 5.5 mile run two days earlier at 8:14 pace in preparation for a local half marathon.  I felt great!  I ran the 2 1/2 miles to the race as a warmup and as I turned the corner I tripped on a crack in the road and wham! I went down, landing on my side.  It turned out that I'd popped a rib out of place and probably tore my anterior serratus.  Needless to say, my training over the next couple of months was compromised, but I forged ahead anyway.  I did the St. George 70.3 in May, but during T2 my back seized up on me, making the run a living hell.  I was supposed to do Ironman Coure d' Lane in June, but was still feeling lousy, so I didn't do it.

That brings me to Ironman Boulder, 2015 version.  I went in with less training than usual, but figured that I could still manage.  I was wrong.  By Mile 80 of the bike, I had hit the doldrums.  By Mile 2 of the run, I was wondering why I did this crazy sport.  I could have walked, but instead, I wanted to get it over with as soon as I could, so I focused on nutrition and rest.  I even stopped, early in the run, sat on the grass for a few minutes, and ate and drank.  Due to the challenge of the Boulder run course, everyone suffered, so I actually maintained my placement throughout the run.  The full race report is here:  http://wassdoc.blogspot.com/2015/08/ironman-boulder-perseverence.html.

I was supposed to do Ironman Maryland in September.  I persevered with my training, albeit from a minimalist perspective.  I flew to Baltimore, and as we landed, found out the race was being cancelled due to an upcoming hurricane!  I got on the next flight and flew home.  I wasn't disappointed, I was relieved.  That was when I knew that I needed to rest.  I'd also started a new job and was putting in some significant hours (I don't know how not to work too much).  I spent the rest of the year recovering, and recalibrated my Legacy program plan. 2016 would be a pivotal year. But that's for tomorrow's blog!