Day 199: Aches

Wow, almost 200 days since starting this project. Time flies. Am I stronger, faster, closer to my goal? I'd say yes, but a more tired and achy yes than I might have predicted back on day 1. In every project, there are moments when one questions ... well, all kinds of things. If I had known how much work would be involved, would I have started? That is a common question for me, because I seem drawn to long, slow projects. And my answer is always, well, yes, I guess--and besides, it's too late now, because I'm in too deep!

My current book (pub date 2012) has many more days behind it than this triathlon project. It has years. It predates my parents' divorce and the birth of my fourth child. And I never gave up on it. So I know from long and steady and slow.

This triathlon project has a similar feel to it. Intense work, and quiet slow in-between waiting for more intense work, toward a goal that is both concrete and abstract. I think one race will be enough for me. And I would like to turn my discoveries into a book of its own. But one never knows what will happen along the long, slow journey toward a goal. Things change, both inside and out. Circumstances. The self. The project itself can change one, or transform into something quite different.

Anyway. I'm tired today. As mentioned in my last post, I ran on Saturday, and did a 90-minute steaming hot yoga class on Sunday morning, and took yesterday off altogether. I just needed a day to recover. This morning I was back at it early, spinning away at 6:15am. Still the hardest thing I do in my work-out. My arms still ache and feel weak from kundalini on Friday night. I'm fighting a cold (the remedy for which seems to be exercise--honestly, I swear by it). Another yoga class in a couple of hours. Run tomorrow. Swim Thursday. And then a forced two-day break due to my husband working out of town. This will be a quiet week, exercise-wise. I'm not feeling super-sad about that right now, though I'm seeing some big holes in the training. Where are these runs I need to be doing?

This week's plan: two yoga classes; one spin; one swim; one run. Yikes!!!! Not good enough. But better than nothing at all, so I must look at it that way. Maybe I could squeeze in a second run on Sunday evening ...