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Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough?
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On my never-ending quest for balance I constantly asking myself: am I overdoing this? Am I doing enough? I see people around me at both ends of the scale, people who sacrifice a social life, career ambitions, and other interests to achieve personal bests in triathlon. Then I see people who struggle to get a work out in because it isn't a priority but they aren't happy with where they are it physically.

Presently, I'm getting ~8 hours of exercise a week. I feel fit enough to race a sprint triathlon and like I could add a bit for an olympic and be fine racing there too. I have time for other things and I'm pursuing career goals at an appropriate pace. I'm just not super fit. It's almost thing it's enough for me. Almost.

Where you at?
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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currently 12-14 hours a week with an olympic scheduled for may and a HIM in the beginning of july.

Last year I had a bit of a breakdown with the hours necessary for IM training as I felt that all of my hubby's and my free-time was triathlon related and it just didn't make me happy so this year we've agreed to be done racing by early July and just enjoy the rest of the summer by spending more time hiking, rented an island house for a week out in the San Juans, camping, etc. I know we'll still train but it will be racheted down significantly or at the very least not take priority as it has a tendancy to do now.

The biggest change from last year to this year though has been my mental shift. Now if I don't feel like doing a workout because there's something else I want to do or simply b/c I'm tired and want to sleep I don't force myself to workout. It's made me a much happier person and ironically I find that I really put my all into those workouts I do go to so I actually think I'm in better shape right now then where I was this time last year.

Edited to add after rereading: I don't consider myself to be superfit. I was at that stage once in my life when training for Olympic Trials (obviously not in triathlon) but my sport was my single-minded focus and consumed every single second of my day outside of class. It was great to do that once in my life but I feel no great need to try and reach that level again at the risk of detracting from other things in my life.


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Last edited by: lilpups: Mar 18, 08 14:30
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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I used to have a very 'balanced' life when I first started to do triathlons. I had my friends I hung out with and a couple of us did triathlons, ran marathons etc. Then I decided to really train one year and while I've gotten much faster and fitter, I'm missing my old social life. I have a new group of friends (mostly because all the old ones were in the military and moved away while I got out of the military and stayed) who are all really into triathlons so I still have a social life (though I don't think of it as as social since the main purpose is to train and the social aspect is secondary), but I miss the going out to dinner on a regular basis, hitting a bar on Friday after work and having 2-3+ beers where now I have 0-2 beers. I don't miss the getting drunk and being hungover, but I'd like to be able to drink and enjoy myself rather than have to worry about how I'll feel at 6AM. I'd like to be able to enjoy opening a bottle of wine and thinking, wow, that was so good I think I'll have another glass or two. Now I don't even open wine because I know it will go bad before I even feel like having a second glass. I am looking forward to doing IMAZ and getting some of my life back, but the problem is all my friends will now be in serious training mode, so to keep a social life I'll likely join them in the training. I need to find some hiking partners so I can do some great hikes and then end up at a bar for the evening.

I guess I'll always be striving to find the balance and fine tuning it. I know it will be hard now because I enjoy being really fit and having the successes that come from training hard (mostly just being able to do a hard ride or run and thinking, wow, that didn't suck as much as I thought it would), but maybe I'll just stick to HIMs from now on (1.5-2 hr runs I like, 2.5-3 hr runs not so much, 3-4 hr bike rides I like, 5-6 hr rides not so much, swimming, well, I'd rather swim 3-4K than 2-2.5K anyday, and I can still swim long for a HIM). Some of my friends are perfectly happy training 15+ hours a week, going to bed at 8-9PM, getting up at 6 AM every day. I'm not really.

The funny thing is when I used to just run, I would slowly build up my daily runs. There was a point when I would go for a 30 min run, then a 30 min run felt like a waste, so it became, 40, 45, 50, 60, and I think I finally settled at 70 min, and if I couldn't do 70 min I probably didn't run, or I'd do 2 shorter runs, totaling over 70 min. I'm sort of the same way in tri training right now, where I can train 20 hrs a week for 3-4 weeks and then take a recovery week and feel fine, the thought of training less and I can almost feel me getting fat. I only did a 1 hour bike ride yesterday (and that was all I could do because i was really tired from the weekend), but I kept thinking, I wonder if I'll feel okay later in the day to go for swim. I knew I wouldn't and found stuff to do to keep me busy, but then I was stressed about what I was eating/drinking last night. I realize this is probably a problem, but I'll have to find another way to occupy my time so I won't be able to work out that much and get back to where 1-2 hours a day average is all the endorphins I need, so I won't feel so crappy having a real social life.
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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If I leave everything to its own devices and train purely by instinct with no plan..I get 3 workouts of each discipline per week, approx 10-12 hours and that feels great and fun and refreshing. Oh, and every workout I do, is with friends. I would swap out a solo bike ride for a group run if that suited me in the off season.

Now I am in IM training, more hours per week, and I have to be more careful of the pacing and intensity...can't always tag along with friends' workouts since most of them are faster at their respective sports.

Although I mostly enjoy my training cycle, it will be fun when I'm back in the off season and I can just spend a week running if I choose to. As far as socializing , I got out for beers 1 -2 x a month. I am a mom so I think that is pretty good. I am bad at boozing, so a lot of my social stuff involves stuff with my clubs, low key stuff volunteering, envelope stuffing parties, that sort of thing. It works for me.
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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I have come to realize that my businesses and home life are much more important to me than training. I used to beat myself up for not being as fit, or not having tri be "enough" of a priority compared to the majority of my cycling or tri peers. I have felt inadequate by comparison, but I finally realized I just have different life priorities, and there is nothing wrong with this by any means (it’s normal to have individual life priorities).

Last year I spent a lot of effort on the bike and went up a level or 2 in ability. That was cool, but it was hard on me and my husband (who had to do more of my share of our home's responsibilities), and at the end of the day I could ride a bike fast…but so what? It wasn’t that big of a reward, other than “feeling good” once the workout was over. Ultimately, I probably would have felt “as good” by going 15.5 mph on the bike, rather than 22.5 mph, so the additional time and energy required just didn’t really make sense to me.

I have been a lifelong athlete and have achieved a lot of things that I’m proud of. At this point I have come to accept that I am not working towards greatness given i have other life priorities. Now I just want to have fun, get a little camaraderie with my buds, and go to a few racing venues and enjoy it. This is not the most ambitious plan, but I am ambitious in other areas of my life (these other areas actually pay out, unlike tri, so it is a no brainer for me).

I will probably never look as good as I could look with hard core training, simply because I don’t dig the sacrifice that this requires. I like sour cream, pizza, Indian food, and cook good food. Exercise is great, but I hardly want that to be my entire life, or singular hobby. Beside, being an entrepreneur is a more challenging game to me, the stakes are very high and for the most part I feel the rewards are limitless. So, I sacrifice for this, and it is worth it. Tri…not so much. Also i love my husband and my home life, i'm not willing to damage that with an excessive training schedule for the sake of running or riding a bicycle.

Ultimately, I think the right amount is up to the individual. It’s what’s good for you. Find that, and therein you have the answer.

lastly, 2 weeks ago i started back "on program". guess what. i've gained 3 pounds and can't stop eating. go figure. i think working out 6 days a week is too much for me , given it makes me a bottomless pit. now i'm thinking of a 4 day workout plan, and keep it mostly to running. this worked for me in the past (way before tri), i am going to try it again and see what happens.

good luck, i think the main thing is to do it on your terms, whatever those terms may be. :)
Last edited by: kittycat: Mar 18, 08 23:00
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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Trailbait: I find this an interesting question. Your eight hours seems just about right. I did a bit over 9 last week and decided that was quite the achievement and can't imagine doing more than 10 or some of the hours I hear the IM folks engaging in.

I was out of the country for five weeks and DID NOT TRAIN AT ALL and surprise, surprise, not only did I not gain weight, I lost, so I started mid January in a good place. Part of my workout obsession was "but you'll get fat!" Which I disproved.

I find myself oddly envious of the diehards. I've never been able to find just one thing with which I'm obsessed. I've always considered myself a "jack of all trades, master of none." But hey, I make a great party guest ;)

So in the quest to be involved in a bit of everything, I've become content with mediocrity. The world is so full of stimulation, I can't just spend all hours focused on tri -- though obviously that's a big chunk.
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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This is my 24th year of triathlons and training an average of 7 hours/week.....In the past I did more structured training with speed work after focusing and doing very well (for me) in sprint triathlons...

I did 2 IM's and while I am glad I accomplished my goal of finishing in a decent time I did not enjoy how, even the minimum training schedule, crowded our my social life....

At this point I am training 7 hours a week and that is what works for me....I will not do another IM and highly doubt you will find me at the starting line of a Half or even Olympic distance triathlon in the future....I enjoy triathlons but its not the same as it used to be....

After 19 years of being single after divorce I recently married a fantastic women who also trains and competes in Adventure Racing, running, Orienteering and Trail run events with me...and although I still compete in appx. 4 swim sprint triathlons a year, my training includes minimum swim workouts, 90% of my bike training riding single track on a mountain bike and most of my runs are on trails.....because my wife and I enjoy these activities more and enjoy training toghether....

I also enjoy it when she says "lets skip out run tonight and just veg and watch TV or a movie...." nice to just say...yeah, lets just stay in and do nothing.....

Ths approach also allows us to have dinner with friends, and go have a glass of wine together or go see a movie....enjoying life together with her means more to me than being so focused on my triathlon performance....this shift has happen gradually over time and I am still in transition but I have never been happier....

Our next big event is a 2 day event called a Mountain Marathon in the Scottish Highlands that will require 2 back to back days of hard run/hiking while navigating to checkpoints....its done in two person teams and we have entered the novice division, because we want to be able to go and a decent pace but also want to look around and take it all in...what a great way to see the Highlands..later that week we will go Mountain hiking and sightseeing all over Scotland...I am excited about this event and vacation....

What I am trying to say is its good to have balance and enjoy all of what life has to offer...and slowly my priorities have shifted...and I am happy about that.....life changes and its nice to be able to evolve and change with it...including my training and racing life...
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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This is my 10th season of being consistantly active - training 5 to 6 days/week.

Longest distance I have done was a 1/2 IM. My son was 4. I trained about 12 hours/week for that and I vividly recall the last training ride bawling my eyes out saying this is not fun, I miss my hub and son.

I now enjoy weeks where training is about 5 hours per week and I feel a good balance of my family life, work and working out.

I have also noticed a shift .... I have not been swimming since my last tri last year August. I thought I would start again this month. I was wrong. I guess this season I'll be a duathlete ... and for once, that is fine by me.

Balance.

Hmmm .... seems that I found it when I stopped looking for it.

Tri Hard !
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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I train around 5-6 hours a week, and take a couple of months off entirely each year. I am happy where I am. I could be a few pounds lighter, and maybe a few minutes faster, but it's not worth it to me.

I'm active, I'm reasonably healthy, and I can eat (within reason) what I want.


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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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I just want to say thank you for this post and the responses. I'm new to the sport (this is my first post!), have been training as much as I can, which right now is about 6-8hrs per week. I have yet to actually do a race, and I'm starting to get intimidated to even do one. I have been "lurking" and am at the point where I feel inadequate if I'm not training 15+ hours per week. I was starting to feel that there were only VERY dedicated triathletes. It's so refreshing to read a thread about incorporating a life into training.
Last edited by: rockykito: Mar 19, 08 8:22
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [rockykito] [ In reply to ]
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You can be happy, well-balanced, and race just fine on far less training than a lot of people here think you "need." ;-)


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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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I'm starting to think it's not so much about 'the hours', but how we approach those hours.

My roles models are two friends who once trained for sprint & Olympic tris, but now simply do whatever the heck they want on a given day. Whatever their body tells them. Long mountain bike ride? Check. Scenic trail run? Check. Two buoy lines in the Bay, followed by the sauna? Check. (They hate the pool; so do I.) Adventure race they might DNF? Check. Tired? Watch movie with boyfriend.

In a given week, they occasionally train as much as I do (~15 hours). But it's not so freaking structured! I can't help thinking they might be having a much better time than some of us.

After 3 years of climbing the sprint/Olympic/Half Ironman ladder, this is my first year of Ironman training. I am going to put it out there: Ironman training is just a bit unnatural. It requires too much structure, a huge amount of discipline in terms of ensuring recovery, injury prevention, etc., and too much time away from friends, family and work. Even half-ironman training felt way less pressured; it's time consuming too, but there is just more leeway in terms of skipping or modifying workouts. I can fake a 1.2 swim but a 2.4, I have to work for.

After this year I can so easily see just racing for fun: Some trail running races, maybe Xterras, short adventure races, orienteering...and forget the pool.
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [Oleander] [ In reply to ]
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Oleander - I am going to start a thread just for you!!! :-)

In the meantime, IKWYM about IM training. On the other hand, it is only a few months of really hard stuff. I am middle aged , a mom, and the timing is perfect for me. Logistically on a daily basis, as well as in the big picture on the lifeline. As an older athlete, it takes me longer to warm up so distance suits me well right now. My kids tell me they can't wait to turn 18 and do their own Irons...to which I say, "I sincerely hope that at age 18 you will have better stuff to do than train for an iron"!

I hope you enjoy your Iron race, did you mention which one it will be? if you want to chat about training plans and how you might be able to keep some freshness, feel free to PM me.

And for those who are comparing numbers....seriously....don't. We are all different people in different seasons of our life and athletic experience. When you see people posting training hours in the double digits, you have to realize we are spending mucho hours on the bike. It's not like we're out there running for 12 hours a week.

PS, if my kids DO decide to do Irons at 18, you can best believe I'll be there with the special needs bag!! :-)
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [Oleander] [ In reply to ]
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I'm doing IM AZ as my first IM and have ratcheted up the hours in the last few weeks...upper teens and lower 20 hours per week...I think I'm not over doing it. I do think I might be in the "never enough" club though....
I enjoy spending a lot of time training...I'm not married, no kids, etc... Plus, most of my friends are either triathletes or in my running club so that makes the time go by.
I'll be glad when the Ironman is over though and will get a chance to relax a little before I train for my 2nd IM in November...I can't really take a lot of down time though. I get antsy.

Vestri sessio est quoque altus!
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trisyzyl] [ In reply to ]
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I thought I trained too much for my taste for my first ironman. I trained the right amount for the race, but too much for the way it hampered the rest of my life. That said, after doing one in 06, I did a half in 07 and was amazed at how easily I did all my training for that, and how much better all my shorter races were.
So, I got sucked in to IMLP for 08. I figure that after July 20th, I'll goof off for the rest of the summer. Oh sure, I'll still swim, bike, and run, but not really any super structured stuff. Maybe I'll do some sprint races or whatnot, but only if I feel like it.
I have also realized I thrive on having a schedule. I like the fact that it's written down and I don't have to think much about it other than see what I have to do for any given day and do that. I write up my entire 18 week IM schedule beforehand. Then I just go along checking off workouts and right before the race, look back on it to reassure myself I've trained properly.

Most of my friends do tri stuff too, so I'll often train with them. I swim with a master's swim group and they're my faves. It's been roughly the same group for years and I love the camaraderie.

Most of my runs I do alone though, since my schedule and speed.... but I found a friend to do my 5 milers with on Wed. nights who will push me a bit, just what I need! :)
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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I've not read through all the responses, but mine is.

HELL NO! Underdoing it (as is my situation right now) is REALLY PISSING ME OFF! I miss having a 15+hr/week schedule. Work sucks. Dealing with other crap is pissing me off. Pretty much everything currently is pissing me off. I just want to have the time to train.

I am seriously looking forward to Xantusia.
Rant over.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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i am at a point in my life where i am willing/able to sacrifice quite a bit for my training. I train 17-20 hours a week for olympic distance races, and have one half this season. I have made some choices to cut things out, but it has been more of not wanting to drink friday night when i have brick sat morning, than forcing myself to. i still keep balance in my life, but at 21 with college graduation around the corner and no "commitments", i've decided to really give the triathlon thing a go for a while. i am sure my priorities will adjust as i get older.



"What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass for six hours a day. What are YOU on?" - Lance Armstrong
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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As life situations change, priorities change. There are ebbs and flows to everything. It's difficult, if not impossible, to keep focus the same season after season.

Myself, I'm kind of burned out from triathlons. This would be my 6th season of triathlons, if I do any races this year (I haven't decided yet). I started with sprints and Olympics, and added half irons and iron distance races later on. I did four iron distance races (two IM brand, two independent) in three years and stress fractured my tibia training for a fifth. I was training upwards of 20 hours per week. I'm a stay-at-home mom who volunteers a lot with my kids' schools and activities, so I am able to plan my training around my family's activities, so the only thing that suffered was housecleaning. :-) However, when I stopped running and biking with the stress fracture, I realized how tired I was of HAVING to train all the time. I've always enjoyed swimming the most, so I upped my swimming yardage. I'm now back biking and running just to keep fitness (3x per week I do 30 minutes of intervals on the trainer followed by a 30 minute run), but am swimming masters just about every day. I'm feeling renewed and enjoying my training again. I'm planning on doing some masters meets and open water races including a 10K. I *MIGHT* do a sprint or two, and possibly dabble in 5K and 10K runs for fun. I think I'm satiating my competitive appetite by going to my kids' swim meets. :-) It's also SO nice not having to worry about how a missed workout will affect racing.

I don't know if this amount of training will be enough for me next year, or maybe it will be too much. Maybe I'll change my focus again. Who knows. I just know that right now it's working for what my family's situation is at this moment.
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [flyer521] [ In reply to ]
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I'm a college student too, and I WANT triathlon to take over my life. Partying doesn't interest me... I tried, only because one of my running friends told me my freshman year "would you please act like a normal college student and go to parties for those of us who wish we were still there? You can write an event report about it..." he might've been kidding about the last part. Ugh. Let me go to bed early and wake up and run as the sun's coming up, or take my bike far far away while everyone else is sleeping, or slip into the pool in morning quiet - I am so much happier.

I spent spring break doing: swim bike run rinse repeat. I called it "spring break training camp" but to be honest, the only difference between that and being in school was, in school I have to go to class instead of nap between workouts. It hit me the other day that triathlon feels like "my second job" in the best way possible. My hours are early mornings, lunch, late afternoon. I'll pretend I care about school etc while I'm there but oh, I cannot wait for those hours that I get to disappear.

It's kind of a recovery week right now - I noticed all of a sudden that I was tired. I'm settling with it. My body wants to rest a bit, okay. I've swum gently for the past two days. I'm babying little sore spots, eating whatever I want to, looking forward to bigger training weeks but right now, okay with resting.

On some days though, it feels like never enough. I crave the way water feels, how good bare shoulders feel when they're water-kissed, the softness of my swimsuits. It's getting to be spring and I'm excited to take my bike and just go away... and to run on the track in the early morning. Sometimes no matter how much I am training I still ache for more of it.

I go back and forth between those three stages... overdoing, just right, never enough.

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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The amount of training and my enthusiasm to do it really depends on what's motivating me: enjoyment vs. results.
In my heart of hearts, I truly love to run, ride my bike, and splash around in the water. Triathlon has taken me to some beautiful places; and I have found some wonderful friends and inspirational people in the sport. So when my mindset is happyhappyjoyjoy like that the training feels just right.
However, the competitive side of me want to push more watts, swim faster 100's, and have a higher Vdot. I want to win my age group at the local tri, pass that guy who hates getting chicked, qualify for Nationals. I hate to admit it, but when I'm in this mindset the training is either never enough because someone/EVERYONE else is training more/harder or overdoing it because I have a mortgage and bills and a job that I don't particularly like that pays for those things and trying to schedule those friggin' workouts around work, housework, and sleep completely sucks.
I agree with Oleander: IM training is unnatural for anyone who exists for anything other than IM. When I trained for my first IM, I thought I would do it just for the "love of the sport", to "enjoy the day". Instead, a significant part of the race and post-race was me being disappointed with my splits. Crazy, huh?
I think the balance starts with what motivates me and my mindset. Then the rest follows.
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [trailbait] [ In reply to ]
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It is refreshing to see this kind of a post on an endurance forum. It is difficult sometimes determining what balance is... I don't we guys, in particular, are as adept as women are at balancing life's demands.

I got very burnt out on running - although I think its what I do best, by far - (not that I'm any good at this, because I'm not) - training for my first marathon last year. 600 miles of running in 2006 and then ramping up to 1300 in 2007. It was a bit of a shock to my system, but now, three months after the marathon, I'm ready to start ramping up my run mileage again, but I'm thinking that I'm going to quit chasing time goals in run races and instead simply try to enjoy the experience more.

I have the time to train lots... I'm an almost divorced for the 2nd time 46 year old father of two that live with their mother out of state, so I have the time to do whatever before and after work and on the weekends, basically. Yet I want to have a social life, date, etc. But sometimes, it seems like all I do is sleep, work, eat, and either ride my bike or run. I don't seem to do much of anything else, and it gets rather empty feeling at times. Why am I doing this? I don't know.
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Re: Overdoing it? Got it just right? Never enough? [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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Oh thank god, I'm not the only one who feels like this. My job is seriously sucking the life out of me as well. Right now I am getting in 3 runs (all under 1hr) and one "long" (i.e.: 3hr) ride. That's it. I can't even get to the pool my sked is so bad. Ugh. AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS
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