Almost daily someone asks me "How Do You Do It?" How do I cover these long distances and how do I train for so many hours. I usually shy away from answering that question because I try not to talk to much about myself. I am not doing anything that anyone else can't do. It is a matter of internal motivation and the willingness to put in a lot of time. I set a goal and I am doing what my coach thinks is necessary to accomplish that goal.
Last week while I was dropping Luna off at doggie daycare I realized that there is no way I could do what I am doing without the help and support of my friends. Training for this race is much bigger then just me. There is a whole group of people who have done so much for me along the way. It is this help and support that has made it possible for me to do this. The more I think about it the more I realize that I have the easy part. All I have to do is move forward. So the answer to the question, "How do you do it?" is this- I can do it because I have the help and support of so many people willing to help me achieve my goal. I am so fortunate to be able to call these people my friends.
It is comforting to know that I have the support of so many different people. It sets my mind at ease and allows me to focus more on my training. I have had help with taking care of Luna while I train, I have had many different people to train with, I have had advice and suggestions along the way, but most importantly I have had nothing but positive encouragement from pretty much everyone. Most people think I'm crazy and constantly remind me how nuts they think I am but these same people have also supported me from the beginning. I really am a lucky person.
These realizations came at a good time because this past Saturday I had a mental breakdown while on the bike. Unlike last weekend where I felt my body was completely breaking down this weekend I felt that my mind was falling apart. I'm not going to lie and tell you I wasn't crying. As the day went on there were more and more tears being shed. I was starting to tell myself that I could not do this anymore and that I would not be able to finish this race. What is worse is that in my heat induced exhaustion I was starting to believe that I wouldn't be able to do this. I just wanted to give up and throw in the towel. Once my mind started to falter my body started to follow it. I started thinking that I could not turn the pedals anymore and that there was no way I could get off the bike and run. I didn't want to finish my workout. Sitting down and quitting seemed so much easier of an option. In endurance racing you have highs and lows. I can now say that I have seen the bottom. I did get off the bike on Saturday and ran...I finished my workout and then collapsed.
Two weekends in a row I have seen how much more powerful the body is than the mind. It is an extremely important lesson and I'll need to remember this on race day. When my mind starts to tell my body to stop I must convince my mind that I can go further. I know my body will be ready so I have a little over eight weeks to get my mind ready. I know how to train my body but am not really sure how to train my mind. I still have some more work cut out for me.
This weekend was a huge training weekend and looking back I have a great sense of accomplishment. A big thanks to Christy at Carolina Doggie Playland for picking up Luna and letting her play all morning. Another big thanks to Sarah for meeting me at 5:45am on a weekend to join me for part of my ride. Thanks to Melissa and Jason for helping me through my workout on Sunday morning and most importantly a big thank you to anyone who is reading this blog. It is your constant support and encouragement that has helped me get to where I am now. I am so lucky and so thankful.
Recovery week here I come!!!
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