There’s a quote I used to love that goes something like – “Commitment is staying true to what you said you would do long after the mood you said it in has left.”
And boy was that true yesterday.
I was feeling the pinch for the first time since the glorious comeback idea.
Very tired. Not just training tired, but tired tired.
Midlife, business to run single handedly, kids, school runs, afterschool clubs, my own training, late nights etc. Usual stuff.
But yea, knackered.
However, it is peak week on the programme I have written for me and my amazing clients who have joined me on the journey to the British Indoor Rowing Championships and I had to ask the question on the group chat, as the team coach, anyone else tired?!
I remember this feeling from a decade ago.
In recent years, tired just meant have a few days off from the gym and even when I went, it wasn’t performance related so could just adapt the session.
Not yesterday.
4x2k.
3rd piece in 4 days having pushed Friday’s session to Sunday – lesson learnt, not doing that again.
It was like going back in time.
The mind games, the body going into shut down, convincing myself of every reason not to train.
But I sat on the machine, “bit down on my gum shield” and started the session.
It wasn’t even a maximal piece. Just lactate threshold. “Just.”
I ached from the first warm up stroke. My hands are in bits and are struggling to heel. My body didn’t want to graft for the best part of an hour, nor did my mind especially when the splits were slower than last week.
It took some mental resilience to crack the first piece. In the rest period I even suggested to myself just do 2 and call it a day.
I did the 2nd.
Then did the 3rd.
Then f**k it, did the 4th.
Session complete, training effect (T.E) achieved.
This morning, I feel better, a light weights session, an aerobic piece on the Wattbike tonight and then the joys of a 30 min TT tomorrow before the first de-load week.
Whose idea was this?
Oh, and I’m whinging now – speed work hasn’t even started yet.
I think I’ve got a rude awakening coming.
Chat soon.
Coach OO