Getting Back Into It. Sort of. Maybe Later.

After Ironman, I like to fall off the wagon when it comes to nutrition, training, the whole shebang. A mid-season break is exactly what is needed to recharge, regroup, and hopefully have a good second half of the racing season. A successful mid-season break is when all the wagon wheels come off, the Red Flyer loses its handle, you find yourself knee-deep in Four Seas hot fudge sundaes, and working your way through 3/4 of a pound of fudge at 9pm on a Tuesday night.

What have I done since Ironman? Not much. Not much at all. On Friday last week, I laced up my running shoes for a sloooow two mile slog to the beach and back. And then yesterday I rode my bike to and from work. And that. Is. It. Every morning I have shut my alarm off and hid it under the pillow (last night I didn't even bother setting my alarm). I think I still have residual tiredness from last week's events and I've not woken up in time for early morning swim practice at all this week. Maybe I will tomorrow. Or maybe not. That is the joy of the mid-season break.

After this week, it will truly be a back to reality check. I picked up a BRAND NEW FELT NINE 20 MOUNTAIN BIKE when I got back into town on Sunday afternoon! Huge thank you to Tri360 for ordering the bike and building it for me! I'm so, so, so excited to do some off-road riding. I've been waiting YEARS to get my very own mountain bike (I had a very inexpensive mountain bike that I bought back in 2005 and it was stolen in 2009 from my apartment garage) so I can do mountain biking and off-road triathlons at my leisure! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my friend Karen's wealth of knowledge and insight that she shared with me as I was trying to decide on which bike to get - she is the mountain biking guru and I really appreciated how patient she was with me as she explained the pros and cons of different bikes, what I should look for, things I should consider, etc. I'm planning to do the XTERRA Charlottesville race later this month and I'm a little wary of the mountain biking course, especially after hearing people say that it is one of the hardest mountain biking courses they have ever done AND they cried multiple times during a loop. XTERRA is hosting a free clinic at the race site this Saturday so my mountain bike and I will be up at the crack of dawn to attend the clinic, check out the course, and take stock of how many tears will be shed. Thought that I must keep in mind - there is NO SHAME in walking. I'd like to make it through the race in one piece because my season is not close to being over yet.