Word of the Day: perseverance

perseverance: (from m-w.com) the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness

persevere: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement

Yesterday was Sunday, July 20th. It was a big day of racing around the country and a big day of training for the Rydholms. We got out the door for our key run session just after 6am to try and beat the heat, since the forecasted high was 101 F. E has been fighting off a case of the sniffles (sinus crud) and it soon became apparent that he was not recovered to the point where he should be doing a workout of this magnitude, so he turned for home.

My epic run was now an epic, solo, run.

The first, 70 min effort started well. I felt a little fatigue in my legs from Saturday's bike in the hills (with over 5000 ft of climbing, 4000 of which was one straight continuous climb up Left Hand Canyon to Ward at tempo), but all systems were functioning as intended and I settled in to practice running my goal IM marathon pace. Then my pace started to yo-yo all over the place. Part of that was the undulating terrain, and part of that was the significant mental effort I was having to use to keep focused and keep on pace. My normal, relaxed, IM marathon pace was not coming with the normal, relaxed effort I was used to. And my mind wanted to drift.

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Oh look, pelicans! 4 this week! That's 2 more than last week.

Dog. Running leash-less on a country road with no shoulder. Being directed by its owner directly into my path of travel as they crossed the street. ??????

Dirt shoulder or paved shoulder....hmmmmm.

Cross Boulder Peak bike course. See police officer. See no racers (too early). See cars, voluntarily stopping 40 yards (rough guess) back from intersection.

Slow. Look. Decide to cross street. In front of cars. But they are stopped. Halfway across hear police officer tell some cyclists behind me, who I never saw, to wait for the cars, and hear him make some comment to me about "...you, too, lady"

But I'm already halfway across the street! In the way of the "traffic!" So I just keep going. I'm only plodding by now anyways.

**********

I talk myself through the first effort. I enjoy the small break before the second effort too much, slowing down more than intended, but getting my HR under control. I start the second effort by the start area for the Boulder Peak Triathlon and follow Cameron Dye, a local pro, on his warmup jog.

I realize I am toast. Mentally I start to break down. I'm not going to make pace. Not even close. I'm frustrated.

I see coach J as I crest my second-to-last hill before home, I am walking. A mirage? No. He even gives me some water. Better yet, he speaks words of wisdom and sends me onward. I run again.

I walk my last hill, frustrated at my inability to run, but then I crest the hill, start to jog, start to run, and imagine I am nearing the finish line of my next IM race. I see the lake. I see the SS Sicamous. Pace picks up. Faster, faster. I. Go. Onward.

I turn and head towards home. A block to go I see E on a bike. He is looking for me. He asks how I'm doing. All my mental strength fades as I cry out "I'm dying" then I round the corner, hit our driveway, head inside, take off everything (visor, HR monitor, sunglasses, shoes) in the entry and hit the shower. My breathing comes in gasps. The cool water is a relief. I get the dust off then head straigh upstair for an ice bath.

That is where I was during the pro-race for Boulder Peak that we had meant to spectate for. We missed seeing Angela win her first pro race, and the exciting mens race, too. And we missed seeing Amanda get second in the SW4 field at the Leanin' Tree crit (though we got to see both Kuhls race later in the afternoon, since she also did the women's open race....awesome!).

So, about the word of the day. This run did not shape up as intended. It even derailed some of our other plans for the morning, but it still did serve a purpose. Provided that my recovery efforts were/are adequate, it is sure to provide physical enhancements. More importantly, perhaps, are the mental benifits. These are what I am still sorting through and defining, but overall, things got rough yet I never gave up. I held "steadfast" and was not deterred, "in spite of couterinfluences", be they physical fatigue and discomfort or the mental distractions that were thwarting my concentration or surrounding my determination with negativity. I dealt with frustration and kept going. I worked through nutrition successfully (though may have needed more, but at least I learned that AND avoided GI distress). I tried to ignore the heat. I persevered.

In hind sight, I am not sure I was physically capable of executing the workout as I originally intended with the tool set available yesterday. I made it to ~15 miles, but then had burned through my muscle glycogen reserves (which I'm guessing had been depleted Saturday and not adequately replentished yet) and simply ran out of gas. Hopefully this does not happen race day. But if it does, at least now I've expanded my tool box to include the confidence needed to keep going. To walk a short bit if needed and come back running stronger (I do NOT want to walk, but......).

And all of this "learning" and "persevering" before 9:15 in the morning!

The rest of the day included plenty of eating, resting, visiting with the Kuhls in between their crit races (we live mere blocks from yesterday's race course), stopping by Tate and Seth's BBQ, a quick 3500 m swim for me (with some good race pacing, despite feeling toasted from the morning run), and a fabulous dinner of wild rice Waldorf salad and grilled pork with fresh cherry salsa. Yum!

-A