Bad Things

Well, alas, things continue to go awry over here.

In the interest of not-whining - much - I'll try to keep this succinct. Another allergy/sensitivity problem has turned up resulting in another few weeks of mostly-lost training time.

Nearly everyone I mention this to says, 'oh, it's just muscle soreness. HTFU.' Apparently they think that I don't know the difference between a normal workout where my heartrate goes from a calm steady beat to a nicely elevated and comfortable 150-160 versus a pounding 210 within the first few steps of a run. That a muscle pain that feels like a netting of razor blades wrapped around my thighs feels the same as the typical stiff & soreness that comes from a good long run.

Trust me on this one: I am not stupid. I am pretty self-aware, too. I know the difference between what is normal for me and what is significantly abnormal.

Also know that I will figure it out and take the actions I need to fix it. In this case, once again, I narrowed the problem down to what is affecting me and am using avoidance to solve it. I feel better again. What I don't know is why all of the sudden I'm reacting to so many things that never previously bothered me. Maybe that's a question that will never get answered and my days will be filled with identifying and avoiding problem ingredients. Oh joy.

What this means for my triathlon life is that I've lost some more training time. Oceanside is in two weeks. There is no more time for significant fitness gains.

So. I know I may not finish this event. I have made peace with that. I am where I am. I will do this for fun. I am now looking forward to the excitement of the event and having a great time. It's not like I was a threat to break the top, oh, 60% anyway. It turns out that a whole lot of this pre-race anxiety is just taking yourself way too seriously.

I know I'll finish the swim. I am pretty sure I'll finish the bike. I might finish the run, if all goes well and my knees and hips hold out. Realistically, they might give out and I will just go as far as I can.

In other news, Basta is sick. Aches, pains, runny nose, intestinal distress. Flu. He's been down for 2 days and is getting better. Considering I've caught almost every cold or flu he's brought home, chances of me getting this one within a few days is pretty high. Which will really benefit my strength and fitness for Oceanside, no?

Hmm. The no-whining thing didn't work out so well, did it?

On the positive side, we did the Solvang ride last weekend. Basta did the century ride, the second one of his career, and I did the half century. We both had a very good time. It was a hilly, challenging course but we both finished strong and within our goal times. We were happy.