Not content to let sleeping dogs lie, HS brought up the topic again during our trip to Costco. I told him that I wasn't that bad. I then added that perhaps that is why I like endurance training so much...for those couple of hours that I am working out, I am in charge. I can run as far and as fast as I want, I can swim a 1,000y or I can swim 2,000y. When its time to get on my trainer, I choose the DVD. HS added that my need to control my workouts is why I don't like running with people. Ugh! I can't win, but he's probably right.
My Training Partner
Whether he likes it or not, HS is my training partner. It is not always easy because I think neither one of us wants to disappoint the other. He may not have my drive to compete, but he genuinely likes the workouts. I, on the other hand, love having him workout with me, but I don't want to pressure him or make him think I'm expecting more from him...like finishing an Ironman ;-)
I have to admit, things were much easier in our P90X days. If one of us didn't feel like working out, the other one worked out alone. It's a lot different when the workouts are 3 hours long instead of 1 hour, or when you have to drive to another location to workout instead of going into the spare bedroom.
I started reading a new triathlon book (shocker!) last week titled Unlikely Finisher 140.6 by Dale Petelinsek. The book chronicles Dale and his wife's journey to becoming Ironman finishers. In the beginning of the book he writes:
"I was told early on that it (Ironman training) can put a huge amount of stress on a marriage if only one person is training for such a grueling race. I think that this is an understatement. Because all you really do for a year is train, sleep, or work. I don't know how you would ever keep in touch with your spouse if you were not training with him or her."
I think this can be true for any kind of training...whether it's a sprint distance race or an Ironman...you need the support and understanding of your spouse. I consider myself EXTREMELY fortunate that HS trains with me most of the time. It doesn't matter that he's not training for the same race that I am. I am just as happy having him trail me on his bike while I plod along on my long run as I would be if he was running next to me.
Guilty!
About 18% through my Kindle book I came to the chapter "The Arrogant Athlete Psyche". Just like the sermon today about control freaks, this chapter also cut close to the bone.
"While generalizing is dangerous, full-distance triathletes generally come from engineering or technical backgrounds. They also love to measure data about themselves. They would rather spend an afternoon training alone than spend it engaging in social activities. Also, they have an intense desire to compete and win. A friend of mine says that triathletes are the geeks of the sports world."
Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Thankfully, HS knows I'm this way and he still loves me :-)
My Run
I programmed my Garmin today so I would have a nice easy run. Warmup was going to be a mile at a 9:30 to 10:00 minute per mile pace. After that, I was going to run 10 miles at a 9:00-9:15 pace. The Garmin kept chirping at me to slow down during my warmup. I did the best I could to bring the pace down but it kept telling me to slow down. After the warmup, I made it through the next four miles at my programmed pace and then disaster struck...I hit the wall.
I'm not sure if it was the heat or the speed workouts I did this week or possibly my low calorie intake today, but whatever it was, I was miserable. I was sweating so much that it was running down my face and burning my eyes. I only had a little bit of water left and I didn't want to waste it trying to wash my face.
On top of that, I got stopped at a traffic signal. The auto pause on the Garmin took its sweet time stopping so my pace dropped into the "unacceptable" zone and the watch started beeping to speed up. I then made the mistake of pressing the "lap" button on my watch and that put me into the "cool down" even though I was still in the main part of my workout. I pressed the button again and the Garmin flashed "Workout Complete". NO!!!! I still have many more miles to go. I restarted a new workout (this time without a set pace) and just tried to move.
The "second" workout was horrible...much more walking than running. It was all I could do just to keep moving forward. Oh well...on a positive note, I didn't give up :-)
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