First training session of the year…

I looked at my calendar and see that I’ve only trained two days in the past 13 days. It was during the Christmas and New Years break and intentional. I wanted to spend more holiday and vacation time with Alice and the family.

It’s really been the first time I’ve done this without feeling too much guilt. It also helped that the weather has been so cold outside that even if I wanted to run it’s been so difficult without the sidewalks even cleaned.

Even though I brought my training gear to Quebec I didn’t train. Really tried to focus on relaxing and not worrying about training. Something I haven’t done in so long.

I’m really learning something from this entire experience. I’m learning diet and exercise is super important mentally.

Throwing caution to the wind about my diet was fun. There was no low’s, until I stopped. Same with Training there was no low’s until I needed to get back into it after eating too much food and much of it unhealthy.

The combination of having to go from one lifestyle of poor diet and no exercise for only about 10 days to now having to get back into it has been tough and I have Ironman will power.

Step one started a couple of days ago changing my diet on a dime. Cold turkey I went from carbs and crap to Low Carb High Fat, a Ketosis diet. I equate it to a mini alcohol or drug detox in symptoms.

What I felt was some will power to stop the insanity of eating. I’m motivated to get back to my pre-Christmas body shape and look so that was helpful. The tough part is I wasn’t yet motivated to train.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve done 11 Ironman’s or no exercise ever. It’s hard to get started. Once you get going and build momentum it’s much easier.

For example I want to start the 60 days Insanity workout. Normally if I was training I’d just plug in the video and start. Instead today since I haven’t been sweating for 10 days I decided to sit down and WATCH it from the comfort of my couch to see what it was all about. Which was a huge step from the day earlier where I couldn’t even motivate myself to put the tape in.

I’ll be straight up with you, the workout scares me, I think it’s age and getting set in my ways. I can train for the Ironman hard, I feel comfortable with that. But this “Insanity Workout” which looks like track and field workouts that I’d have no problem doing kind of scares me because it’s a change of routine. I’m recognizing I’m somewhat set in my ways.

Alice and I talked about doing it together. I’m not really sure she wants to. I’m not really sure we can do it together in front of the TV without it feeling awkward. If we were young people I don’t think it would be a problem. Now that we are older I feel it might be embarrassing. I can’t speak for Alice about that, she may have no problem with it.

I see it as an example of becoming more set in my ways. I’m sure if we did it by the first week I’d adjust and it would be fun and cool doing it together. Even though I’m in Ironman shape I’d be using muscles I’m not used to using and I’m sure it would hurt, that was scares me, I’m taking myself out of my comfort zone.

I know if I start in two weeks I’d be fully adjusted. It’s those first two weeks that are toughest.

Instead of starting the program I decided I’d do it after a run. I figured I’ll get the sweat going with what I know and then it will be easier.

Reality is I’m so scared of getting started that I decided to go for an hour run in -27 C weather rather than start the program.

The run was awesome. It was what I needed. It was still snowy sidewalks but they cleared them so it wasn’t a slow going.

During the run my head cleared. I also got into my major thinking and reflection mode. Nothing gives you time to think than running and biking. Swimming not so much because your counting laps and sets.

When I got home I felt much better. Until the endorphins came down and then as the night went on I got more somber. Definitely brain chemistry from the adjustment of the extreme lifestyle change. Not to mention the late nights to bed and sleeping in. Sleep cycles is also so important.

From my perspective I find myself observing the circumstance and feelings. Almost like I’m outside my body. I notice the melancholy and irritability. Then I put it in perspective. I look at the outside factors rather than think true feelings are the cause.

I know that in a week I should feel much different, that I just need to ride the waves of change, that once the routine and effects of exercise and healthy diet kick in I’ll have an optimistic perspective once again. If not then there is other issues which from experience is usually never the case.

Often less talked about is the mentally high and lows of training from effects of diet and nutrition on brain chemistry.

Glad I’m not drinking because that even makes it worse as it’s another variable.

This outside-in look is no different than doing the same with my training routines and performance. You can read all you want about training but it’s that introspective approach where you do the most learning. It’s looking from the outside in and monitoring things. I think that is why I spend time often recording my diet when I’m doing real well and real poor, same with training session, although I record those all the time. In doing so gives me a factual data I can analyze with the feelings I had at those times and performance.

It’s really self-coaching.

So as the night went on I felt worse until I fell asleep. I knew the next morning I’d probably have a different perspective and not to sweat it. It will take a week and I should be back to normal.

One uplifting moment was stepping on the scale and being down a couple pounds from the day before and completing day two of the LCHF diet.

Mod Run – 1:05:54 / 11.16 km / 5:48 pace.

194.6 lbs.