Training and Not. Up and Down

My very very worst thing is consistency.  It's cold outside.  It's wet outside.  I had a hard day at work.  I love my big chair at home...  My inner battle is constant.  I will watch what I eat today.  I will do the scheduled workout today...   If you are reading this hoping to find a magic pill for having a perfectly executed plan, wrong place.  I have great weeks and less than weeks.  Some weeks I eat lean proteins and salads and others it's guac and martinis.

Carry on.

It is now April.  This is what Tuesdays after work in April look like.  I pack 9 pounds of water and sand on the bike in addition to usual gear and my drinking water.  Mesa is a popular hill to repeat and I'm a bit envious of the roadies on 17 lb carbon sticks as they lap me on the circuit.  But really, they have no idea.
 

SheilaT and I have been focusing on the Gran Gravel 500.  The plan of course is to slowly ramp up mileage and weight (the bike's not mine).  March looked pretty good with goals met at higher levels than the same time in 2011 or 2014 TD prep.  

April, well....my consistency monster has been in town.  And then there was this day.  A really bad day.  The 2nd weekend I had a 100 planned on Saturday and a 50 for Sunday.   Saturday was sluggish from the roll out.  

Commence self talk.  You can do this!  You have to do this!  Just keep going, you'll feel better soon! That point where you are as far as you can get on the loop from home and totally bonk and you are keenly aware no one is home to come get you...  Carry on.  Oh, and there was intense lightning just before it started to rain.  There is only one way to get there from here.  

Once home I had to work the experience into the context of the bigger picture.  There will be days like that on the divide.  There will be only one thing to do and there really is only one way to get "there" from where I am at the time.   This is the philosophical me.  What is the lesson or what was the good that I got out of the experience?  Training is not just throwing down the miles.  

Then there is the Project Manager me.  My next thoughts are risk mitigation.  Why was I so sluggish?  Why did I bonk so badly?  I'll never really know.  I did take a hard look at nutrition the day before and even more important were recovery actions I'd done (or not) after a hard effort at Castell the weekend before.  No massage or foam roller time.  Tons of car time that week + desk time.  Toxic legs?  Who knows.  But the risk of the event repeating itself is mitigated by paying more attention to post workout self care and over all nutrition.  

Gear

New PZ shoes were too wide.  Mfgs really need to make narrower choices for women. 

Replaced 2010 Oakleys.  Had to get same model off ebay - I could not find a frame that accommodates my narrow pupil distance (read skinny head).  They should arrive this week. 

Alpkit finally got production of large size gas tank bags with a power cable port.  On order and should arrive any day. 

Saddle - see next blog post ;-/