A LITTLE REST

2 weeks ago I had a typical training week...including a quality interval session up Nakiska, a time trial up Ha Ling (2 min off my pb in 39:00) and a couple nice real long hikes (longest was a 6 hour jaunt up 3 Sis' Pass). On the Monday I was baked, so I did an easy spin on the bike. Tues I was still real tired and really had to push through my interval workout. I finished it and was really glad I did, but I knew a whole lot of punch was missing. The next day I did an easy 2 hour run, but it was here that I decided to take some days off.....4 to be exact.

I realized that since my 1/2 ironman in early Aug, I'd never had much of a training break. Each week I take Sundays off, and there were a few weeks when I was either busy or distracted with a project and took another day or so off, but really no rest planned in the schedule for the last 3 months.

I could tell that mentally and physically I needed a break. My motivation to do my 3x per week strength workouts was gone. So to was the pop in my legs. It's like Ironman training when you kind of get used to that "always tired" state of being.

So this week after 4 days of rest I'm good to go! I put more weight than I ever have on the squat bar. Did a new interval protocol workout at the Nordic Centre and generally feel great!

Here in Canmore we've seen a few athletes develop what Deb and I refer to as "Canmore disease". It's when overly gung ho xc athletes come to train full time either on the Nat'l team or just below it and train themselves into a hole. Some never climbed out and retired. Others went for months or even a couple of years before they felt energetic at all. It's a kind of chronic fatigue. So after witnessing this in several athletes I know it's critical to not let that training hole become a black hole from which there is no return!

GETTING CLOSE

Days are getting short...winter and ski season can't be too far away. It's a tough time of year to keep the training going though. With such little light it means my weekly middle long run on Wed. mornings starts in the dark. The nice part is I get to see the sun come up over the mountains. Usually it cast a really cool orange on the now covered with snow peaks.

I did my last high altitude hike this week. Corey Pass in Banff nat'l park. I made it up to the pass in around 1.5 hours, but there were some real sketchy-icy sections towards the top. The "don't fall or you're going for a long slide" kind of footing. At this point I'll keep it to the valley floor and hope for some winter weather soon.

It's suppossed to be a La Nina winter, which usually means snowy and cold. The last 3 of 5 La Nina's around here though have been warm, yet snowy. That's a nice combination! Snow, but not not killer cold.

Last year we had an unusually cold and quick start to the ski season, doing xc on the golf course from early Oct. It was fun and good training, but with the warmer weather this year I feel like I've gotten a lot more quality training in. I've kept up the 2 intensity workouts per week as well as the 2 long ones.