There are a few things that have come to mind the last week. This last week was my biggest training week since last summer. 17 hours and counting which has also included many calories and a few naps.
There is always that first big week that hits you after the new year that you know is out there but you have no idea what it will bring. Will it bring some break through training or just a miserable slog through the items on the training log. I had a few nice bike rides with RTB’er Brad Williams and that helped make the week “easier”. It is always nice to ride with someone else and it was nice of him to block the wind for me and take the long pulls. Come to think of it, I think I forgot and never took a pull in front J but he has an Ironman to train for so all the training in the wind will do him some good. J
By Thursday it hits me I am tired. I start consuming more calories but thin gs are getting slower. I am dreading my long run on Friday and what to do. I then thing back to some great advice we got at the 2005 Ironman CDA RTB training camp. Former pro Mike Pigg was on hand for the festivities and he said even when your tired, go out for the first 20 minutes of your scheduled workout, if it doesn’t feel better after 20 minutes then go ahead and stop and rest your body.
The great thing about the 20 minute rule is that it works. A lot of time our perception of being tired can stop us from even walking out the door to do the next swim, bike, or ride. The reality is that once you get the first 20 minutes you can usually mentally go “ok, I have the first 20 minutes done, let’s just finish this work out”. So, there my friends are your first rule for training this year. Give it 20 minutes, if you don’t feel better then stop and skip the rest of the workout and rest up for your next key workout.
That being said, I had to use the 20 minute rule twice this week. Saturday I headed down to my favorite open water swim place for what I was hoping to be a mile swim. As I looked down the beach toward Black Rock, I could see the swell hitting the shore break. I mumbled something to myself like “huh, I guess I will deal with that once I get there”. It was a murky swim and I broke 2 of the 3 open water swimming rules. The 3 rules being:
1) Never swim alone (ok I always break this one)
2) Never swim when it is murky*
3) Never swim after it rains*
*Cause the sharks like it when it is murky and they come in after the rains to feed on little fish – like you.
So, as I am swimming in the murky water, I keep thinking “this is stupid – get out of the water” followed by “sharks, love murky water”. I kept telling myself ok just 20 minutes, just 20 minutes trying not to test the fate of the shark gods.
I get in my 20 minutes then of course start to see the break now is breaking at the shore and it is coming from 2 directions. There are a lot of people who drown at Black Rock and I start to think that I now know why. After a few minutes of treading water, counting sets, and thinking ok I have faced 5 Ironman swims, how hard can it be to get myself out of this water? I count the sets and guess they are coming in 2 minute breaks and then I make my run, err, kick to the shore. The first one I miss and I get caught up in the rip tide and I duck under a huge wave to get back out beyond the break. Ok, that wasn’t very fun. Once more time to try and if I can’t do it I need to turn back and swim up the beach to try to find another easier route out – of course that would be more then 20 minutes though….. More counting, more waiting, then kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick!
Ahh, finally through the break, run like hell (make sure my swimming bottoms are on) and whew I am through. Gosh that was a workout in itself and note to self – let’s try to avoid that break in the future.
Of course on the return walk back up the beach, Brad and his lovely family is enjoying some beach time. Brad offers the “not going to swim back?” and I think well that would have been easier then trying to get out of that break but I only wanted 20 minutes of swimming. J
So, Day 2 of the 20 minute rule comes in the form of my long Sunday ride. Coach Simon wants this to be a tempo ride. About 5 minutes into my ride, my legs are saying no tempo ride today – it’s a recovery ride. Then I start doing the “just 20 minutes” thing and then I start to wonder when was my easy day this week and of course I hear Simon saying “the easy day was yesterday”. So, I then realize I only loaded one bottle, no heart rate monitor and I am already tired. I am coming down the hill and I think I see someone waving and then I realize it was Brad. Wow, I just blew right by him. Where is my head today? I need to focus because I have 3 more hours of riding and apology to make to Brad.
About 30 minutes into my ride I find my groove and realize the worst is over. I am already riding, some tempo and recovery. Some how I get my 3 hours in and it feels to good to be able to cross that off the list.
Who knew you could get 3 hours in by just telling yourself “20 minutes”?
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