Recovery and Reset

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One week post-Ironman and I am feeling good.  Physically, I felt good all week.  Looking back I keep thinking "that was it?".  I set myself up for much more physical strain and a longer recovery than I experienced. Perhaps it was that I took recovery seriously this time: getting a post race massage, watching what I ate to ensure recovery, taking off of work, using active recovery swims and runs during the week, etc.  Whatever it is, my recovery is going well.  This is an area in which I historically struggled.

Now, I reset.  I have my first sprint distance triathlon coming up in four weeks.  Ft Ritchie is a very hilly course with a long category 3 climb in both the sprint and olympic distance but realistically it's only a dozen miles on the bike.  I have never done this distance and I am looking forward to the short but intense sessions of training.  The temptation is there to do another IM.  IM Maryland is only an hour from my house in September and I keep fighting the urge to sign up.  But I know in my mind, I need a mental and social break.  Over the past year, there are numerous projects and things I neglected, to which I can now dedicate a portion of my training time.  I can also add some strength training to my routine and focus on some of my weak points.  The volume focus for my first IM didn't allow me to focus on swimming form, cycling or running skills such as drills, trainer time or speed work.  It was all about the distance.  Now that I'm confident in my ability to do the distance, I am excited to start focusing on these other pieces. 

I also have the opportunity to start coaching (or at least assisting).  I am hopeful to attend a USAT clinic next year and work on becoming a certified coach.   I preach about the technical side of the sport and have gotten very good at putting together plans and workouts for myself and for others.  I'm picking up some opportunities to work with established coaches to hone in my own coaching skills and hopefully be able to work with beginners and bring them into the love of the sport.

Hopefully I can now finally finish my long overdue gear reviews.  

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