Almost doesn't count

After coming home from HOS and getting right back into training at high intensity and volume, I found myself feeling somewhat weak. Over the weekend, we had some group training and I knew I wasn't feeling up to snuff, so while I wanted to push, I just didn't have it in me. So, I did what I could and didn't stress so much about it. I made sure to eat right and I spent some time with my feet up on the couch. Sunday morning, I went for a long run and then to a local road race to watch some friends kick some tail on their rides. I also wanted to get a better sense for what road racing entails because I've been encouraged to participate.

Anyway, I took it easy for the most part over the weekend and through Monday. by Tuesday morning, I was feeling a bit sluggish, but I went to swim practice with the attitude that if I don't feel well, I don't have to kill myself.

But something happened.

The water treated me really well! I'm not sure if it's because I did take it kinda easy for a couple days or what, but I was hitting times I couldn't make just a few weeks ago. And at the very end of practice, we did a 200 all out and I went 2:38, which is really good for me. We had some intervals as our main set...we were doing 6x50 on :35 with fins and then 200 non-free easy four times through. The third round through, these 50s, the lactic acid had really built up and my heart rate was through the roof and I almost...ALMOST thought I was gonna see that breakfast banana again.

That night, I was highly anticipating this group ride out of the LBS. I get there and they announce that there are going to now be three groups instead of two...now there will be a "race pace", "fast" and a "moderate"...due to the fact that there was such a pace discrepency in the previously named "fast" group the week before.

I opted for the "race pace" group as I'd ridden with some of the guys before and been able to hang on just fine. This week, there were some new faces, in particular, three cat 3 men. It was a fast ride from the get go. And then we added in some hills. Like four of them. Four of them that are very long. And very steep. One guy actually claimed the second one was the worst hill he's come across in all of NKY. And as I climbed, breathing like Darth Vador, lungs burning, quads on fire, praying that around each bend we crested I would see the top, I again ALMOST lost my lunch...er, pre-ride smoothie. And as always, I was amazed at how the downhills allow for recovery and you forget the pain of each hill until you hit the next one.

I did finish the ride. And I wasn't the last one up any of the hills. And I did take pulls and i did hang on. And I was tired by the end. But the kinda of tired that makes you fall asleep happy. And grateful that I've been fortunate enough to have some very special people take an interest in helping me out.

I almost threw up twice in one day from workouts. But almost doesn't count, right? Instead I got to push my limits just a little further for the day.