Yesterday when I woke up, I knew I had a bad case of the CBFs. I started coming up with excuses not to run.
- Its too hot,
- I'm too tired
- I would much rather try and justify the purchase of Call of Duty black ops for PS3 by playing that instead.
This is not the first time I have been struck with this thought process and I'm sure it wont be the last.
I had decided to run a 21k run for my weekends challenge as the last one I did was Marysville and it didn't go so well. The idea was to try and nail the sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon, on a well shaded, very well graded gravel surface. Then the "don't do it because" thoughts popped into my head and I needed to come up with something new and exciting to do, to kick them in the but.
I had left my bike at the station and needed to pick it up so I decided to run to the station, pick up my bike, go for a swim and come home. Simple and different this should have been enough to get me interested enough to make it easy to get out the door.
However, I got my running kit on, packed my bike cage access card and headed out the door some negative thoughts still lingered for example, what if I ran too far and didn't have anything left for the swim, or what if I got chaffing issues from riding my bike while wet (I didn't take a towel).
I walked out the front. Looked up the hill. Looked down the hill. and started running (up the hill) I decided at that point to try and make the run segment about 5k. to do this I would run around some streets and through the park doing a bit of a loop. I was aiming for about 5min 30sec per k, as I didn't want to go too hard or too soft. One thing became very obvious very quickly...It was hot out there. So trying to stick to the shade as much as I could, I altered my course and made it to the station in 5.4k.
Next I hopped on the bike after some very strange looks from the local kids that frequent my station and decided to try and stretch out the run a little. I also at this stage decided to swing past the outdoor pool in the area and see if that had opened for the year. So I did both. After taking some unnecessary detours around the back streets I found my way to the outdoor pool, this totaled about 1.9k.
Yet again I found myself under some odd scrutiny from the staff at the pool and some more local teenagers when I wheeled my bike up the stairs took off my top, shoes, socks, heart rate strap etc and got in the pool. I was expecting the pool to be freezing, actually I had hoped it would be cold but alas it was solar heated and luckily not too hot. It was amazing swimming outside on a beautiful summers day.
Here is where I struck an issue. When I was a kid learning to swim we were forced to swim freestyle. As I have grown up I have become lazy. I would much rather amble along swimming breast stroke with my head out of the water. Anyway I decided to try and swim some of my swim freestyle. I managed 1/2 a lap which is more than I have previously been able to do. I have decided that my issue is having my face covered with water, frightens me.
I don't like the fact that bringing my face up sideways out of the water with it running across my mouth as gravity takes its toll. So what to do about this. I think the only thing I can do to break down this mental block is to swim more, and force myself to swim freestyle. The advice I have been given is that in a triathlon with an open water swim you will revert to the style of swimming you feel safest with. This came from someone who spent money on stroke correction classes etc.
So it looks like I have a new goal - swim freestyle. Goggles will probably help with this a little and its something I can keep working on.
Anyway I completed 10 laps of the pool. I was wrapped I had swam 250m after a run and a small bike ride, and it felt like I had some more left in me. on a side note I have found out that the outdoor pool is actually 50m not 25m so I had actually covered 500m not 250m.
So next it was time to put all the gear back on, compression top, hat, helmet, HR strap shoes, socks etc. and on my bike.
Where I parked my bike there is a drinking fountain and I had decided to have a drink before I headed off. In typical fashion of my local council the drinking fountain didn't actually work and I was left thirsty.
So I started heading for home and worked my way up a hill...at this stage I decided I needed something to drink so I headed to the 7-11 up the road for a powerade. By the time I got there I was really into the riding. It was such a nice day to be out and active and I felt great. I opted for an alternate route home which had some challenging hills, well one in particular.
Along my merry way I went. Before I knew it my watch beeped that I had covered 9k and I knew I would crack 10k before I got home.
As I approached "the hill" **See below** I pedaled my ass off, I rode up the hill at a good clip and was panting like a black dog in hot sun buy the time I hit the crest. Satisfied, tired and proud of my achievement I arrived home to 2 smiling kids who were ecstatic to see their daddy :)
** A note on hills.
when I started running I dreaded 2 parts of my 5k course that encountered hills. I soon discovered as I extended my distance that, its impossible to run very far without encountering some hills, especially when you are running more than 20k training runs. Now when I start a run I usually have an idea of where I am headed, and I know the hills I will encounter (especially around home) but my attitude towards hills has changed somewhat. there is one hill (referred to as The Hill above) that I have tried very hard not to let beat me. Before I lost weight and got fitter I rode that hill with my son on a bike seat. I had to get off and walk up it. On a 10k run about a year after that I found myself happily running up the same hill. The only time I let that hill beat me to a walk since was when I hit it at the end of a 30k training run. I felt bad about that so I decided that no matter what kind of pain I'm experiencing, that hill will not get the better of me again.
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