23.43

an unfinished post (fitting for the topic) i found in my e-mail inbox (often i'll send myself an e-mail reminding me of something to write about or a post that i began).

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since returning from the half ironman in california a few weeks ago i began questioning why i signed up for ironman coeur d' alene which is now only 9-weeks away from today.

i have not once questioned whether i can complete the race. funny for some to imagine that the 140.6 miles that make up an ironman don't scare me. if the race was tomorrow i'd be happy to wake up & do it. the training time i have put in both by myself & with t3 up until this point has prepared me physically for the ironman.

regardless of the physical aspects associated with the ironman there are just so many other things that an athlete must do & in many cases not do to prepare for this type of race. dedicating the time to train both during the week & on the weekends has been the biggest struggle for me. at this stage of training it requires 10+ hours during the week & another 10 hours on the weekends. these 20 hours only include training time too. so many folks don't realize the time that goes into training when you aren't actually training. i'm referring to the time spent washing water bottles, filling & mixing water bottles, packing nutrition, giving up nights out so you can be in bed early & on the flip side up super early in the morning, driving to & from workouts, shopping for workout stuff, equipment tune-ups, planning travel (air, lodging, car) for races, reading about tri training, & because the weather is ever changing you have to have cold & warm weather gear ready to go at all times, & of course there is an abundance of laundry to do. the list goes on & on.

this is why i've been questioning the value of dedicating so much time to these activities. what am i & the people (kristin, family, friends, co-workers) around me getting out of any of this? if it isn't rewarding & it's no longer fun then why continue forward?

it easy to argue that because you signed up you should do it. i had one guy in the gym tell me to "just man-up & do it." isn't part of being a mature adult (man or woman) knowing when it makes more sense to call something to an end? why remain bullish to prove a point or to simply finish something you started? identify something (an ironman in my case) for what it is, waste no more time & energy, & turn your focus toward something that does offer value instead. the opportunity costs to continue my ironman training do not outweigh the other items in my life that do matter right now.

this past week i was still in it. although i was following my own (not t3s) less structured training plan i was still getting the time & miles i needed. this weekend however included a 100+ mile ride for which i knew i'd be better off doing with the team. it's these 5+ hours training rides (which turn into 8+ hour days) that drive me absolutely mad these days. i met up with t3...