The midnight oil candle
Sorry for the quiet here…..
I’ve recently started an interesting new job with great people, but consistent 10 hour days in cubicle-land + my usual training load + my own independent web clients has emotionally left me microwaving the midnight oil candle at both ends. Physically I can handle a giant training load, but being back in cube-land adds not merely a time-limiter, but an emotional drain as well.
This past weekend, all the tiredness I have built up came pouring forth. I pretty much staggered around the house in a bad mood with a constant incoherent mumble going on.
a bit more than my usual constant incoherent mumble!! Jess is a saint to put up with me….
One of the things that I noticed immediately when I went full-time with skating 2 years ago was how workouts changed. The number and intensity of the hard workouts was the same, but the warm up and warm down time became essentially unlimited, Easy recovery workouts were always done with the proper timing. Stretching became not just a good idea, but also a matter of survival. Naps between workouts on 2 a days allowed for a new level of clarity to the second workout.
Every gram of physical and emotional voltage aligned itself towards one goal. Like wind driven waves marching to the shore. Wave built upon wave, week after week added up to months, then years, and I got a LOT better.
I miss it…
Life evolves and changes, I welcome it…. but I am bumping up against the fact that a human being is a finite resource, and what we consciously choose to pour our cup of life and moments into is what makes us human, and I have over-poured, spilled, -the cup does not runneth over, or is half-full, or a flower vase, I ran on empty for a while and paid a price…
(I can hear many of my friends chucking at me, thinking; “just wait till you have kids!”)
damm, even just writing this entry and now I am somewhat late for work… damm… But fear not, I will still be racing this winter… although I am in cube-land for 10 hours today, I will be at the gym for 2 1/2!!! whooo!!!
(re-reading that last sentence later in the day, do I ever learn?? apparently not, oh well, endorphins are quite the addicting drug…)
Filed under: from home
Ah yes Andrew,
I too remember having to work much more, in the Landscaping field, and refused to give up my goals in skating. What I learned about my body at age 32 was a 60-90′ power nap, after a light meal and shower, at the end of the work day, as well as reduced training volume, and almost all quality trainings kept me going and improving! Good luck in your transition and “Listen To Your Body”
Andrew-Time to change the “About Me” on the right side of your page.. you may still be “Happy,crazy, blessed/cursed with a one track mind” but in one month you will be 35.5 years old not 34! Love MOM
I’ll second “listen to your body” and add “listen to your wife”. That’s a risky life you describe there, on several levels, and exhaustion (physical, mental, emotional) doesn’t improve anyone’s judgment.
Pete
you are right, but this 35 year old, the day of writing this whiny worry, set 3 PB’s in the weight room!!!! including busting out a new squat rack PB that has stood for 4 years, I tossed around 475lbs on the bar!! whoooo!!
(my back is not too happy this morning, but hey, no pain, no gain)
Andrew,
It’s pretty neat after an unloading phase, how that happens! Make you wonder sometimes if you should Taper sooner/longer at the end of your competitive cycle/peaking phase
I believe your best skating is still to come!!!
Keep it UP!!!
“You ain’t seen nuthin yet!” to quote Al Jolson
thanks for the encouragement gradnpa & pete!!
actually, one of the great things about keeping an extensive training journal, is that I know that my best racing comes 3-4 weeks into a taper/unload… however this PB was not during an unload, just in the middle of a training cycle…
I was originally scheduled to lift on sunday, but was so exausted I listened to my body, took an unscheduled day off, and VOILA
(note to anyone tempted to toss 400+ lbs on the squat rack, be CAREFUL! I have been tossing around big gym weight for over a decade, and am very experienced.. you can REALLY hurt yourself with low rep/high lbs free weights…. the rewards are there, but take time to work up to them…)
Thanks for the inspiration man and it was great to finally meet you, to enjoy your company during our FNS. You have a new group of fans!
Andrew, glad to hear you are still training and also listening to your body. Because of this, I truly believe you will see your 500m drop 0.2 by the end of October. I really appreciate the training pointers you gave me this past season. Knowing you were so extremely busy and focused on your own regimen made it that much more appreciated what you advised.
Between you, Rex, Marian, Eva, KC, and a few others, I came off of an awesome season of LT, dropping massive amounts of time off my 500m PB’s.
Where I am right now with inline and ST (yes, I get to skate ST up to six hours a week in Tacoma and up to four more in Everett, during the summer). Already at this point in my training schedule, I’m already at the point I would usually be in late August/early September.
Just thought I would share a little on my progress, since it sounds like you are having great results yourself.
Hope you have a happy 35.5 next month, mine is July 19th. Cheers!