Friday, December 28, 2012

Rested

This past year I learned a very important lesson in rest and recovery. And over the past 3 months I re-learned that it’s actually a lot of fun to be off a training schedule, sleep in when I want to, go to parties, stay out late, and enjoy some aspects of life that sometimes get neglected with the constant balancing act of trying to be a serious athlete. I think that part of my 2012 athletic funk had something to do with the quick turnaround I had from Kona 2011 to IMSG 2012, so it was a little easier to embrace some rest and take the words of wisdom given to my from coach K: you need to get a little out of shape, so you can come back stronger.” So, similar to last year’s off-season post, here’s the list of things I’ve been doing while getting a little out of shape. 

  • Caught up on some reading. “Gold” by Chris Cleave was the best book I read all year.
  • Went to Vegas
  • Got sick – sniffled, coughed, ached my way through the past month. I’m feeling much better now and should be good to go next week.
  • Rekindled my love for college basketball. Go Gonzaga!
  • Kept my bikes clean – rode outside only when it was sunny and dry. This will change Tuesday nights in January.
  • Drank beer at Oktoberfest in Seattle and biked through Oktoberfest in Leavenworth.
  • Checked Training Peaks a thousand times in the past few days – very, VERY excited to back on a schedule.
  • Celebrated the holidays with some of my favorite (or new) Christmas traditions – The Seattle Men’s Chorus Christmas concert with friends, 12 Days of Christmas swim, TN’s Fundreds swim, the Holidazzle and a ski trip to Utah with my family.
  • Watched some really good TV – living solo I haven’t splurged for cable and most syndicated television is on too late or conflicts with my workouts. Since September (on DVDs borrowed from the Public Library) I’ve watched every episode of “Breaking Bad,” caught up on Season 5 of “Mad Men,” and just started the first season of “Homeland.” Some of it I watched while on the bike trainer, but most of it was watched curled up on the couch.
  • Went to an awesome concert that was like a playlist from my best friend Sydnie – The Joy Formidable, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, Awolnation, M83, Muse, The Killers, Grouplove.
  • Tried new recipes, cooked a lot, baked a lot, drank new cocktails, and spent time with the BF.
  • Bought a condo (more on this later) - The whole process went smoothly, but this grown up purchase still took time. I was happy to be going to inspections, meeting with the lender, and signing papers on days that my workouts were very flexible.
Snowy and Sunny Christmas Day
 
Seattle Men's Chorus Christmas Concert
 
4th Annual Holidazzle Run
 
A month into the off-season I was in the “sick of feeling lazy and trying to regain some semblance of fitness” that went well with my “do whatever workouts sound fun” training regime. Still, there were a lot of mornings when I slept through a masters workout or didn’t lift weights or watched “Mad Men” on the couch instead of simultaneously pushing the watts. It was a nice mix of doing something I love (s/b/r) and not being strict about a training plan.
But now here I am, a little nervous about what the 2013 season will bring, yet excited to start putting more time into the sport I love. I imagine that I’m like most athletes and suffer some sort of “fitness dysmorphia” (if there was such a thing) and I have this feeling that “I’m so out of shape with zero muscle or strength.” It’s true; relative to August I am out of shape. But I’m sure a boost in fitness is right around the corner and with a rested body and an eager mind, the ability to come back stronger than I’ve ever been is attainable in the coming year.

More training related posts to come in 2013!
-Cathleen

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You did! I should edit the post to say "Gold was the best book I read all year, recommended by my college roomate." :)

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