Listen to Your Body. It's Smarter than You Are.

Be good to yourself.  Listen to your body, to your heart.  We're very hard on ourselves, and we're always feeling like we're not doing enough.  It's a terribly hard job. -- Marcia Wallace

It's been an interesting post-race week.  Maybe not interesting - totally normal, in fact.  But interesting in how my body is talking to me.  When I went to Masters for a little swim on Monday, I was on top of the world.  I led my lane, I felt great, and I forced myself to get out of the pool after about 30 minutes because I was just trying to loosen up.  I thought about getting up and going for a run on Tuesday morning, but my legs were sore, so I slept in.  Wednesday morning, I went to early Masters and thought I was going to die - but then Wednesday evening I did a short run on the treadmill that felt awesome.  On Thursday I did a short trail run, and that too felt awesome.  Friday I took off on purpose, because I was planning on doing the century ride on Saturday.

Now, OK - maybe it seems stupid to schedule a century ride, Heart of Virginia, one week after my first HIM, but it wasn't a race.  It was just to go for a supported ride, enjoy the scenery, and spend some time on Baby.  (Freyja is getting her end-of-season tune up and cleaning.)  I went to the ride and it sucked.  It was way too hilly, way too windy, and because of those things, way too soon after my HIM.  I bailed out and only did 63 miles.  That's actually kind of funny, isn't it - ONLY 63 miles.  :)  I was struggling with the hills and I decided, after listening to my body, to cut it short.  The century isn't an A-race or a B-race or even a race.  It was just supposed to be a fun training session and it simply wasn't fun.  Some of it was definitely on me, but I also was less than impressed with the ride organizers.  The course markings were not super, the rest areas were not ready at the right time and inadequately supplied and staffed, and the course design was stupid.  Plus the t-shirt is ugly and cheap looking.  I had done the metric century version of this ride a few years ago, and I thought it was fine.  But I got a decent shirt that year, the course was in a different place, and it was my first organized ride, so I may not have known any better.  Anyway, since I was disappointed in the ride and my legs were yelling at me, I listened.  I need to keep the next big event in focus - the Crawling Crab 1/2 Mary in October.

On a less whiny note - I joined the club...I am a proud owner of a 70.3 sticker on my car.

OK, so maybe it's a little obnoxious - but I'm proud of myself and I want everyone to know it.  (I also ordered a 70.3 necklace, but I didn't like it and am sending it back for a different one.)