“If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough.”
― Mario Andretti
It's May 11th as I write this, and I'm already itching to get back into training after having had 4 weeks off of training since the 70.3. The past 10 days have been spent away on a California road trip with my family and staying in a different place every night was tough when it came to committing to my daily hour of PT. In reality, I was able to commit myself to two weeks of PT and one week of personal PT, with 10 days off, and now I'm back at it again, with another 2-3 weeks. MY PT and Orthopedic recommended a total of 4 weeks PT with easing back into training once that round is completed, but having taken a week of has had me a bit on edge. I did a bit of hiking and walking and have felt the ITB pain, which is why I've decided to give myself more time. I'm going to start focusing on mainly core and upper body strength now while my legs still recoup, and then in early June, I'll be slowly easing back into training. While I know that my athletic endurance has dwindled, I still think I can pick myself back up for the full if I have a solid 3 months of strong training and strengthening. I tend to bounce back easily when it comes to fitness, even if I do take a month or so off, and I've found that this is attributed to maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regime as a lifestyle.
Enduring an injury during race season is a bummer, but I'm confident that I can squeeze in my first IM by the end of the season. For the full, I've entered IM Florida - November 3rd. I've already paid for IM Boulder for 2018, but deferred until 2019, so I will 100% be competing IM Boulder. However, in order to hit my personal goal of competing in my first full IM by 30, I have to compete this year, in 2018. Ironman places you in your age group based on how old you will be at the end of the calendar year, so even though I'm 28 now and would have been racing IM Boulder at the age of 28, I will be 29 by December 31st of this year, so that is the age group which which they place me. Next year, when I race IM Boulder at the age of 29, they'll place me in the 30 year old age group, and that won't cut it for me since my goal is to finish an IM by 30 years old. I've talked about this age goal before, but just to reiterate for those of you who don't know, I was diagnosed with a degenerative disk at 24, which resulting in the physical limitation of surfing. My right hip has experienced pain since I had Lymes Disease at the age of 13, and with Arthritis and hip replacements in the family, I know that it's only a matter of time until my natural and youthful physiology will be more difficult to manage when it comes to distance racing. The good thing is, with triathlon, both men and women seem to excel the older they get, with many pros in their late thirties winning championships. Genetics does, however, play a role, and to be on the safe side, I set my goal of completing my first full IM, by 30.
Having goals like this are really important in maintaining a happy and healthy life, I think. If it weren't for this goal, my 30th Birthday would be rolling around next year, and I would feel disappointed with having not met my goal. Being goal driven can be both a good and a bad thing. Racing in a full IM might deter my body even more so, as the Arthritis and genetics might make the distance running portion more painful than positive, but when I set my sights on a goal, I don't care if it kills me, I have to finish it.
As far as 70.3's go leading up, I have quite a few more options and might be able to have my cake and eat it too when it comes to racing Boulder and testing the grounds before the full next year. 70.3 Races I have my eyes on are Boulder - August 4th, which I've already registered for, and either Superfrog - September 16th or Lake Placid - September 9th. Still deciding.
Have you raced any of the above? If so, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!