The planning

I just finished outlining the rest of my training along with getting a vague idea of what my taper is going to look like. Planning for me is always difficult and always very optimistic. I'm not one to skip workouts if they have already been planned out and written down. Unfortunately, I do skip workouts if I just go day by day without a schedule. The hardest part of training is the inevitable frustration that will occur.

I know my body very well, I know how I will feel after a hard day of riding, running, swimming, or any combination of the three sports. It is a learning process, but over 20-some-years of sports I've learned what my body can and can't do; until there is an injury. When injuries come my workouts aren't a matter of what my body can do, but what my body can tolerate before it gets hurt. Muscle fatigue and the associated burn is a feeling I enjoy and look forward to. That sensation that you are pushing your body to its limit, then saying "Fuck You" to that limit as you push harder; that is why I love sports. Injury pains are something I'm not very good with, and I'm currently dealing with two.

My shoulder and my foot. Junior year of high school was my first encounter with a true sport injury. My previous injuries, pulled muscles and strained whatever, were healed with a little time off and a little bit of care. Junior year I felt a good pop in my shoulder as I was hammering hard during a swim workout. The pop happened at the end of an interval as I was finishing in from the flags (the last 5 yards). As I attempted to continue with the set, I had no strength and a high amount of pain. That injury, whatever it is or was, has stuck with me and has never gone away. Ice, heat, ultrasound, doctors who know everything, magnets, massage, more doctors, acupuncture, lifting...anything that I can think of helping, I've tried. Rest is the only thing that truly helps the healing process, and still, that is only temporary. After 6 months off from the pool, I get about 3-4 months of solid, smart training before it returns. My right shoulder is the most frustrating aspect of training for triathlons. I have forgotten how to enjoy the pool since the pool causes so much consistent frustration.

My foot is a relatively new injury in its current form, but ever since picking up running I've struggled with injuries. Years ago, while training for my first Ironman, I was able to have a whole season without a running injury. Since that year, 2000, I have not had a full season of running without encountering an injury eventually. In 2000 I ran more than I ever had and ever would. Each week I was consistently hitting 40-45 miles and I was fast. Since then it's been the shins, ankle, foot, or shins. Currently it's plantar fasciitis. The plantar fasciitis hit in the two months prior to Ironman Arizona and did not go away afterwards. Apparently it takes a few months of complete time off from running in order to get rid of plantar fasciitis, good thing for snowboarding season.

So in scheduling my training plan, it's not about what I want to do, but what I can do before an injury becomes intolerable. I push the limits of my injuries in hopes of them standing up to the challenge. So far the foot is okay, it's the shoulder that really worries me. When it comes down to Ironman Hawaii I will finish the swim regardless of my swimming fitness, but I want the fitness to finish the swim feeling better than I did at Ironman Arizona. Starting 112 miles of biking in the scorching heat feeling worn out from the swim, is not how I run a good marathon.

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