Sometimes in your life, you have to take a BIG step back and re-assess the situation. Whether this be to re-jig your game plan at work or in training, re-evaluate your goals, or simply to breathe and take a big sigh……Aaaahhh.

I say this because last night and this morning, I have been hit with overwhelming fatigue. Last night I couldn’t even stay awake to eat and had to sleep for a couple hours then get up again for dinner. This morning I naively got up at 5am thinking I’d be fine, but with swollen glands, blurry eyes and this overwhelming tiredness I stopped. I reassessed the situation as follows:

What I have to do: 3hours bike, 30mins run fast off bike

How do I feel: Exhausted, on the brink of illness,

How will I feel if I don’t train: Terrible, guilty, but I might recover easier?

Compromise: 2 more hours in bed to sleep + actually eat breakfast and let it settle before heading out + be prepared to shorten bike if heat outside gets too much.

Result: Session achieved and compromised.

I think the main factor in all this is COMPROMISE. So Im sitting here now, letting breakfast settle and mentally preparing for the session. I know it’ll be close to 100degrees fahrenheit by the time I get to the run but I just make sure I accommodate and prepare for that.

So aside from this mornings episode, this overwhelming fatigue has been building up for a couple weeks now, certainly  a wake-up call… or go to sleep call I should really say! I hope other people find it difficult too though, juggling full-time career, 12hour of training, eating, sleeping, other monotonous errands that accompany moving half way across the world and into a completely new environment, and its not just me?!

This week i bought ‘Racing Weight: How to get Lean for Peak Performance’…..probably too late for this race but will let you know if its worth a read. I have found it difficult to follow ordinary diet plans or fads due to the volume and intensity of my training but I think its going to really come down to how you actually manage your hunger.

ANYWAY BORING BITS ASIDE!!!!

Last weekend I travelled to Ventura, California for my first out of state event and first ever half marathon. Not to sound too much like an annoying triathlete off the youtube video “S*** Triathletes say” (if you haven’t seen this and know a couple triathletes or cyclists, you should watch this, its pretty accurate), but I really was looking at this like a training run, in preparation for HIM (Half IronMan). Because there is a half marathon at the end AFTER the bike and swim, I wanted to make sure I knew what the distance felt like, that I knew I could hold a steady pace for and so I knew what to prepare for mentally. I wanted to aim for AROUND the 1:30:00 mark, but because it was a new experience I wasn’t going to beat myself up if I didn’t manage that. The race itself was great; the sea breeze and humidity was delicious and a welcome change from the dry desert heat. I followed my fellow Ninja’s advice: keep it steady for miles 0-4, push on miles 7-10 and then I actually can’t remember what the instruction was after that….maybe just finish?? Oh dear I must listen better and remember better next time… So anyway I did that, and then picked up the pace slightly with 1mile to go. My team-mate Priscilla who was running the 5k, joined me with around 800m to go, and helped coax me in through the final stretch to finish in a time of 1:27:45 and place 1st Female finisher overall! DELIGHTED!!!

After a huge bowl of GF pasta in Santa Barbara (which I must say is a beautiful town and will have to go back!!!) we drove back to Las Vegas, stopping only once for a milkshake and fries. On sunday, the effects of sitting in a car for a number of hours after running a half marathon were less than welcome, so a day chilling out by the pool was on the cards.

Another experience this week was swimming at Lake Mead. I met fellow ninja but no relation, Amy Leonard at the lake, and she had already swam so I started out putting on my wetsuit so I could also practice this for HIM. I had to cut our conversation short however and get into the water….imagine standing in a full sleeved and legged neoprene wetsuit, in direct sunlight in 100+degree heat…..I actually thought I was melting, like physically melting away! However swim was good apart from the gradually setting sun blinding me on each turn; no fish to be seen and no dead bodies as suggested by many folks probably trying to scare me but nonetheless achieving said scare mongering!

So after a hard working week and a hard training week, of which I still have 5hours of training left and I have to work tomorrow also 😦 I have re-assessed the situation and created new goals…bed by 9.30pm especially if I am up at 5am for training, and stay on top of timing for nutrition!!!

So for now, I am off to wash dishes, train, run some errands then head to the Ninja BBQ/gathering this afternoon to RELAX. Bed by 10pm maybe as I won’t be up at 5am tomorrow 🙂

To all my Scottish friends and family, I mis you very much, special shout to Laura Sarkis who is nearly finished the Celtman!!! And to Rhea and Ryan who have their engagement party this weekend!

Love, Lisa x