Checking in:
After getting home, my tooth abcess returned & I had to go back on antibiotics. Female athlete reality: having your period makes me extremely tired, lowers my immune response and my anxiety gets worse. So my tooth abcess came back at the same time.
I’m looking into getting the injection that pauses mestruation so I can keep training and not have to deal with my hormones messing with my training. Gross? If you’re a female it’s what we have to deal with and consider. My husband works with Olympians and he said they’re all taking birth control so they can train & perform to the max ability.
I’ve still having issues getting up to train in the morning, and seem to need a lot of recovery; so I suspect being able to do all the workouts of the low volume isn’t realistic right now. I have been increasing them, focusing on the bike and run, since I’m a strong swimmer. (Strong, not fast, let me clarify. I could swim for an hour straight & not drown.)
To reset my sleep, I tried sleeping pills but they leave me too drowsy to get started. They also take a few hours to kick in apparently. I have a light therapy lamp beside my bed that I used today & it helped me wake up, but I’m having stomach issues, as in water’s goinng right through me. I’m frustrated at this, but I’m sure once I sort through everything, it’ll settle down.
In terms of stats, my FTP is up a little even after a few rides. So I’m happy.
I switched my running to a track (I live in a hilly area & it wasn’t a good indicator of my pace), and while it’s boring, it’s given me a confidence boost because I see faster times. I also have done my runs right after I coach instead of when I get home; I found myself wanting to just rest if I waited after I got home.
My challenges have to do with my severe anxiety, so I envy you who are able to go and do your workouts.
I have been progressing though and my training load is increasing.
I found a journal entry from November 2015 the other day & it described how I was spending my days stuck in bed, I didn’t leave the house for over a month straight, didn’t bath or shower for ten days straight… so I’m in a much better place now.
My first race is in five weeks, a stardard distance pool triathlon. It’s the main event for the mental health advocacy campaign and race team I founded, so I’m excited to be doing in again
I was accepted as a Nuun ambassador, so that helps the journey!
I’ve also been asked by my supplement sponsor to speak at a wellness show this weekend; I’m excited to be able to talk about my love of triathlon.
I’m loving the workouts and can’t wait to see my improvement.
FTP is very low compared to most (102), but I have to start somewhere. It will be interesting to see how much it improves.
Don’t take your ability to train for granted, it is a gift. Every workout is.
Cheers!