Throughout the years, my Mother and Step-Father (also my original and eternal coaches) have spoken of Peaks and Valleys when it comes to training and racing and how to mentally weather both.  Their wisdom never seems to fail and since they have both been there to one extent or another, I should probably take their advice at first mention, but alas, I hold firm that wisdom is not communicable, but learned through experience.

I am beginning to rise out of a deep and dark Valley that seemed to have followed a fairly high peak.  I had been winning 10k's with merely threshold run efforts, running close to 4min for the mile without any true speed-work, and winning tactical races by staying calm, being patient, and making the right moves ... I was running high and very confident in what was ahead.  Then I began a rapid decline into the depths.  I pushed my limit a little too much, got a little too ahead of myself, and with the combination of that and the weather getting hotter and muggier, I paid the price.  A few disappointing races later, and I found it hard to run any pace, for any distance with ease.  Even a light shakeout felt strained.  This is where it could have gone past the point-of-no-return.  I could have buried my head in the sand and felt sorry for myself for what was happening OR I could stay positive, keep a good state of mind, and weather the storm.  It wasn't easy, but the ever-repeated words of my parents rang in my ears daily.

Every season has Peaks and Valleys in racing and training.  The ideal is to keep your peaks low and limited (till the very end), so when you hit a valley, they are shallow and short.  I had not done this well, but knew I was also strong from months of strength work and that I would come out of this low period just as fit as I went in, ready to get started on the next period of training.

Today began this new period.  After my first two rest days in a while and a few terrific sessions at Advanced Rehabilitation with Dr. Z, and I am making a rapid return to feeling good.  I had a great long-run today (which has dropped from 2 hrs. to 90min in this new period of training) in which I ran a steady 15 miles with the final 4 a little up tempo.  The legs were a little tired at the end, but my breathing, chest and shoulders felt relaxed and loose, not strained and tight.  This is a great sign of things to come.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation as the weather gets hotter/muggier and you are making transitions in your training, keep your head up.  You'll probably never truly believe in it until you have experienced it yourself (like I did), but you will rise out of it,  you will get back on track and you will not lose fitness by taking it easy for a couple of days.  Listen to your body but keep your focus.  Good Luck to everybody training and reaching for their goals.

Check back for updates on my latest training in this new period ...

dbrown