Homeowner Triathlete

I’ve been encountering some schedule and fitness issues recently.

Last week, we finally got a few days of badly needed rain. This messed a little with training plans. While I saw one hardy runner out in the downpour, I was not so inclined. And while I might consider running in the rain, forget biking. Too many crashes in my past to even think about it. So I did some indoor workouts.

Yesterday, Saturday, it was sunny, and the ground was moist. The homeowner/gardener in me knows what this means: Weeding Time! It is so much easier to pull weeds when the ground is soft. So after my Yogalates class and strength training, I did just that. Three garden beds worth and some pathways, too.

Last night, my surgically altered shoulder felt it, with chest spasms and tightness. My hot rice pack worked wonders. This morning, I headed out for an outdoor run. Tired legs. Seriously tired legs. After a few stops and starts, I surrendered to what is versus “what my training schedule says”. I walked, enjoying a gorgeous morning and the birds having a fine time.

There are more weeds to be pulled, and a lot more garden and yard work to be done. I’m heading out soon. This may mess with my training plan again. I remind myself–I am doing a triathlon for fun and fitness. It is not my profession. My job is to do it as well as I can within the context of my life.

Seven weeks from now, on a Saturday morning, my race will be front and center. I won’t alter my participation because its a good day for weeding. Until then, I will continue to train in what I find a reasonable and committed, but not obsessive, fashion, honoring the ever changing dynamic of balance.