'Stress is a funny thing, it makes you feel ways you shouldn't and want to do unreasonable things because you are feeling cornered. We get stressed for all different reasons, but the results in our lives are almost always the same.
I was feeling stressed last night because I left for work at 815 in the morning and got home at 7 in the evening, and I came home to a letter from the county saying that the infiltration (which was installed per their instructions) is installed wrong and must be removed or they will fine me.
It's not that big a deal, I went to the county building today and I think it's worked out, but last night, just wanting to relax and feel better, I had some beer, and subsequently remembered why I don't like drinking beer.
Sure, it relaxes me for a little while, buuutt, then I have to deal with the aftermath of being dehydrated and unable to sleep.
Which brings me to 330 this morning, me, awake, lying in bed staring up at the ceiling unable to sleep. So I got up, and I had a big jug of water, and then a coffee while I looked at the news stories online (don't have tv), and then from 5 am to 7 am I rode my trainer in the garage and watched Seinfeld on DVD. And you know what? I loved it. I like being up super early, with time to do what I want to do without feeling like I am cheating time from somewhere else. I love the feeling of having accomplished a lot before other people are awake (well, if you consider working out for 2 hours accomplishing a lot). Either way, it's more than most have done. Annnnd, I love training with a heart rate monitor. It's terrific to look down and know exactly how much I'm exerting myself, the two hours was still difficult by the end of it, but I stayed at around 70% of my max HR the whole time, and know without a doubt that I am definately doing base training for the first time in my life (purposefully anyway... the truth is I have no idea what level I have trained at for the last couple years because I haven't used a HR monitor).
For the time being, I will know my heart rate and train in a particular zone with a purpose, but because I'm on a trainer for the bike portion during the winter, I'll really have no idea if I'm improving at all. But the truth is, if I stick with my plan and actually work out consistently six days a week, and do a real base training I have no need to worry about improving, I won't be able to help but improve since it will be the first time I've actually trained right. I mean, take a look at my year this year, I've done alright for my goals, almost met all of them and improved dramatically over the year before, all without any kind of structured training plan (well, I had a training plan I designed myself, but I didn't really stick to it at all and it didn't include proper base training or peaking for a race). All I really did was run bike and swim a little more than I have before (well a lot more in the case of swimming). But I did it all ass backwards, doing 1 mile speed running intervals on the track in February and March, giving myself shin splints so I had to stop running for a while. I was doing 60 mile race pace time trials on my bike in april and may, trying on every outing to beat my previous time (not exactly base training). And swimming? Well, I swam you know? And I'm proud of how much swimming I did. It wasn't perfect, but I got in a few 2 and 3 mile swims and even one 3 hour swim in a river prior to Ironman. I might not have started soon enough on putting in the distance in swimming, but I definately improved dramatically and made it through the Ironman swim in 1:27 (I even got second place in my age group out of 6 guys overall).
Anyway, needless to say, I'm excited for the coming year, and I'm excited to train right and hopefully become truly fit, which I don't think I've ever been. My ambient heart rate (sitting down) is still around 70, I'd like to see that around 60 or lower, and feel like I am truly improving my health and not just suffering repeatedly through strenuous training and racing days.
So here's to heart rate monitors, base training, waking up in the wee hours of the night to exercise, and becoming fit!
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
Jack Handey quotes
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