Training for Tuesday: Life After Ironman

 After spending months upon months training for my goal race each year, I find I'm a bit lost in the weeks after. Between the let-down of the event being in the past and the lack of structured training, fatigue, soreness and apathy that generally follows, it can be HARD to cope. There is often SO much build up to these races, and in a way they mentally and physically can take over our lives. So the question becomes:

Is there life after ironman*??
*Insert your major race or goal of choice here.

The obvious answer here being: YES! of course there is, but I have found that transition can be hard!  In the past I have found that it's important to spent some time reflecting, and then move on with my life, and sometimes I need a kick in the butt to do so. Anyway, my goal for this post is simply to bring to light what life looks like after a major race while making humor at some of the craziness that ensues.

This post is brought to you by:

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​Life After Ironman

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• Brain Fatigue: Probably the most debilitating aspect of participating in these longer endurance races is not the muscle soreness, but the "brain fog" that tends to follow. I'm pretty much good for not much of anything for a solid week before the "fog" clears.  Thank God for guest lecturers, that's all I have to say about that!

• Exercise Withdrawal: I just about cried when I unpacked my bike and placed it back in the basement, and two days later I may have desperately put back together my road bike in order to take it outside for a quick commuter spin. Interestingly enough, I am only feeling this way about cycling and not running or swimming. Hurry up and heal legs so I can enjoy some fall-weather riding, please!!!

• Insatiable Appetite: Since the Ironman I've developed the new skill of polishing off my plate EVERY single meal and eating just about anything. For the first few days definitely was waking up and eating full meals in the middle of the night (I'm not the least bit embarrassed, I was hungry!) Despite my lactose-intolerance, that ice cream pictured below was HEAVENLY and didn't stand a chance. We caught dinner with friends about 5 days after the race and I polished off my plate + some of the hubby's (#sorrynotsorry) So then the question becomes: How long can the excuse of "I just raced an ironman and my metabolism is is still in overdrive" or "it's the off-season" last me? (I'm still debating this one :)

• Never Ending Piles of Laundry & Dishes:  Whoever is up for doing any sort of house chores after a major race is a saint in my book! Actually my favorite quote from last week (by the hubby) was: "You're good at triathlons, and I'm good at doing everything else. (He was specifically referring to the dishes he was washing at the time, but if "everything else" involves catching a break from all house chores, sign me up!)

• Cooking, Baking & More Eating: When I'm not training, I like to bake and cook. I just made homemade bagels and donuts for the first time yesterday and decided my bread machine needs a bit more exercise (perfect timing for the off-season???) The good news here is that there should be a steady stream of recipes to share with you all :)

Lactose intolerant? Who cares! This Ice Cream was Da Bomb.

The off-season is the perfect time to dust off the bread-maker...right?

• Race Reports, Social Media & More: The obsession doesn't seem to fade after the race, if anything, it is simply transferred to writing about our experience, talking about it with just about everyone we know, spending hours online reading other's race reports and analyzing the results, or post-processing pictures to perfection. Because what else are we suppose to do with all that extra time?

• Signing Up For That Next Race: The only cure for an ironman is to sign up for another one, am I right? (And thus the obsession begins) Seriously though, having another major goal in mind, even if in the distant future, can help with moving on. As for me, I'm now officially signed up for IM Louisville 2016!!!​ Details to come... later... like in 2016)

PC: Michael Nelson, via FB.

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Off-Season Goals

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In all seriousness, I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the down time that the off-season provides (or at least, should provide). As per last year, I'm taking November off from structured coaching and training and will be shifting to more of a "training for life" type mindset. I'm putting zero pressure on myself to maintain ANY of the fitness I've gained thus far in 2015 and will be erring on the side of laziness. As I learned last year, PATIENCE is the key in allowing my body and mind to fully heal and recharge from the months of stress and high-level training. It's not always easy, but I know my body will thank me for it come next year!

​That being said, here are a few off-season "goals" that I have in mind:

• Family Time: More time with the hubby and pup, more time with friends, and more time to just plain take life at a slower pace sounds REALLY good right about now!

• Revamp my Nutrition: While I have given myself the liberty to eat whatever and however much I have wanted in the past 7+ days, I know it's about time to get back on the healthy eating train. Nothing too spectacular here: just a balance of carbs, protein and fat with each meal, emphasizing nutrient-dense whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, plenty of water, portion control and back on it with my vitamin routine. I'm not about being strict in the off-season (or during the season at that), but instead will simply aim for my usual approach of mindful eating and all things in moderation.

• Give Back: While I won't be racing for a while, there are plenty of fall races going on in my area! Volunteering is a fun way to give back to the community and stay involved without putting my body through the stress of racing. This past weekend I went out to a local trail race and took pictures with my camera and enjoyed a stroll in the woods to go with it #thingslikethat

• Cross Training: My main focus for now is stretching, because everything about me feels tight, tight, tight, and low-key cardio exercise for pleasure (like, walking the dog). With that I hope to get back on track with my physical therapy exercises, which I slacked off on when peak training hit, and after a few weeks return to my other favorite place in the world: the gym!

• Soak Up ALL the Fall Vibes: I LOVE fall... it's my favorite time of the year, especially here in Southwest Virginia. The more colorful leaves and pumpkin-spiced everything, the better!

Pandapas Trail Area, Blacksburg, VA

Taking the pup for a recovery walk, which was fun until she rolled in a bunch of poo.

Now you tell me:

​What are your off-season goals???