Today is Day 34 of the 100 Day Triathlon Training Challenge and I am on track. It's also Week 1 of my 20 week training program for the Great White North half iron triathlon on July 4. I am very excited about the upcoming race season and pumped to train and prepare.
There's just one little problem: My body is not enjoying it. My legs are painfully stiff and sore - knots in my quads, twitches in my hip flexors, permanent charlie horses in my calves, and tender spots in my IT bands. As well, I seem to have very little power when I run and ride. At least swimming is OK if I don't use my legs.
I am being sensible, giving myself rest days and recovery weeks. I am eating well now and drinking enough water. So, I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. Someone suggested that I have "dead triathlete legs" and another thought maybe I started back into things too quickly after the marathon I ran at the end of November (with almost no training so it wasn't pretty!). Of course, I always wonder if it's my weight and I'm sure the extra pounds don't help. I also wonder whether I am experiencing more aches and pains now because I am aging or because this is what being a woman who's heading for 50 will be like for me. Maybe it's all of these things or none of them.
I am trying to work my way through this. I am taking care of myself and pacing myself so that I don't lose training time or make my situation worse. It's very frustrating. I want to manage this so that I can keep my focus on the excitement I feel about this summer's races. My mind and spirit are totally into it so I'm going to have to coax my body back into feelin' the love.
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