WWAMD?

Can OCD and Ironman Training Coexist?

This is my third year of Ironman training and I have already reached the first milestone. The beginning of the first meltdown. The previous week was supposed to be recovery after the big push for the first half Ironman of the year. It was a tough race and I took things relatively easy. This current week was the start of another build cycle and I was feeling pretty good. Monday started with hill repeats on my favorite 2 mile stretch of road. The first lap was done in the small chain ring and as fast as possible and timed for comparison reasons. The next 3 laps were done in the big chain ring with the last third done out of the saddle. We were also supposed to be practicing climbing in aero position but I immediately said hell no. Aero makes me nervous enough, I didn't want to be climbing as well. I gave it a try for a little while on my third climb and actually did the last climb all in aero. Legs felt great and strong.

Tuesday I was scheduled to run 7. I met Sandy and Mike Tue night and they were tapering for Texas so I ended up walking 3 miles with  Sandy. Ok, one more easy day would not kill me. I had not  been sleeping well this week so by the time Wed rolled around I was dragging. I felt as if I was coming down with something as I drove home from work. Uh oh. This is the exact time I got sick last year during my training. I vowed to train smarter this year and so I skipped swim in order to go to bed early. I mostly made that goal but still slept poorly.

Thur morning I was up at 6 for spin class. I was still dragging. I made it through spin but had a tough time meeting my power targets but made it through. Followed spin with a quick mile around the parking lot and that felt great. Not sure why but I will take it. Thursday after work I was feeling a bit tired and again opted to get more rest as opposed to doing my strength workout.

Friday was a rest day and the weekend holds the following: 1.2 to 2.4 mile swim Saturday morning followed by a 10 to 12 mile run and then massage and then catch up on house chores. Sunday I am back at it again for a 70 mile hilly ride which will be the longest ride this year. I hope I am fully rested or its going to be a tough, tough weekend. 


[weekend update - succumbed to a headache that turned into a migraine, took some medicine and felt better in the morning. I got in a roughly 1.5-1.75 mile swim, a 7 mile run (cut short to because swim ran over and needed to make the massage appt). I got one or two things done around the house but I am currently sniffing and periodically sneezing. Neti Pot STAT!! Hoping it's related to the lake swim and that I am not clairvoyant]

In the midst of all this I have been stressing about the fact that I feel like I am never home and I never get anything accomplished. It's work, training, food and sleep. Its been a never ending cycle and I feel like I spend every evening and weekend cleaning up the chaos of my training life. John says I have to just get over it but how does a borderline OCD person get over it? 


I organize my CDs  and DVDs alphabetically, color code the clothes in my closet, have spreadsheets for my car maintenance and I LOVE bleach....yes, I am that person. I have also found that triathlon seems to attract this personality.

I cannot relax until everything is in its place. I walk in the door and I have to clean up the dishes, clean out my lunch bag, take out the dog, sort the mail, water the plants, set up the coffee maker for the next day, etc  etc. Then there is the gear, downloading the data from the Garmin, checking the training schedule, obsessing over the training schedule, planning how to fit in in each day. Laundry, grocery shopping, and all the regular chores. I honestly have no clue how people do all this with kids. I feel bad enough that Betty (the spoiled Doberman) gets neglected. Thankfully I don't have to pay for her therapy or college. Don't even get me started about the dog hair. Plus, I can't let things sit. I can let it go for a day or so but then I freak and have to put everything away and clean it up. It makes me crazy when things are cluttered!!


WWAMD? - What would Adrian Monk do?