Coming to terms with 2014

So I've been off training for 6 weeks.   I haven't talked publicly about my injury til now.   On my birthday I went to see Dr. Stoddard a fellow triathlete and sports doctor.   We chatted quite a bit that day and he diagnosed me with as being "Overtrained" or "Under recovered".   His diagnosis was to take the next 6-8 weeks off doing nothing and my 2014 season was in jeopardy.  

Looking back at my 2013 season it was a disappointment for me.   I was hoping to make huge strides in my results which didn't happen with my "A" races.   I had a tremendous race at the Goodlife Half marathon, decent result at the binbrook tri.   From there, things went downhill.    I went into my A race - Tremblant 70.3 tired, which ultimately resulted in a DNF, followed up by a sub par performance in Calgary.  

Following the season I took the plunge to sign up for the full Ironman(whole reason for this blog).  I continued to push through things, and by January, I couldn't do any sort of workout without feeling the fatigue for days afterwards.

So looking back I think this whole thing goes back to June of 2013.   By realizing that this overtaining could have happened last year it brings up a lot of emotions - anger, blame, sadness, regret.

Being off for 6 weeks I've come to terms that I won't have the 2014 season that I was hoping for.   My main goal right is to have fun with this sport and ultimately make it to the starting line.   For that reason I'm no longer being coached in triathlon.    I met with a pro triathlete who lives in my neighborhood and we've come up with a good game plan for 2014.

I'm glad to be back at it this week...so far things are feeling ok.   I'm pretty far behind in the training.  I also think my bank account is happy i'm back training!   Too much spending when I've got nothing to do after work!  Maybe i'll do a post up of some of the new gear i'm trying out... stay tuned!

Keep Plugging Away...

So I've been a little too relaxed at updating this blog.   December/January were really busy months for me with xmas, 2x freelance job, full time job, and family gatherings.

2014 hasn't gone as planned.  I'm injured.   This is the first time since i picked up endurance activities where i've had a significant injury.    I remember reading that one way to look at Ironman or a goal is like climbing a mountain.   There is no real direct way to the top.   Sometimes, you reach a point where you have to backtrack and take another route, sometimes there are obstacles in the way.    I gotta realize by doing what i need to now in a way is preparing for the ironman by getting healthy again.   Its all steps in the right direction.

On a side note, my bday was recently, and got spoiled...   i'll be rockin' a new swanky helmet for this season, and a neat swim training tool - the roka sim shorts(http://www.rokasports.com/sim-pro-short-mens-neoprene-swimming).  Looking forward to giving these a go as soon as i'm able to.

Only thing I can do right now is recoup the best of my abilities and try to get back training as soon as my body allows me to.