What a difference a day or two makes. I am feeling back on track with my workouts and my nutrition. It is so easy to stray off the path, especially at this time of year, when my spirits are inclined to tilt towards melancholy. But it is a self perpetuating cycle, one that can spiral out of control rapidly. Slack on the workouts for a day or two and consume too much sugar, and I start to feel blue and slovenly, which makes me inclined to want to slack on my workouts and eat too much sugar, and so it goes. But I see the pitfall. I see and understand the behaviors, the cause and effect. I understand myself and my body. I have been very aware of the correlation between exercise and depression prevention. It is something I have been acutely aware of for over a decade. I have always made it a solid point to have my workout regime solidly in place before the beginning of September, because that is when things start to unravel. Years ago, depression would catch me off guard, unawares. It would start innocently enough with an autumn cold, a bug I just couldn't seem to shake, and it would take me down for weeks on end. In reality, the virus only lasted a week or so, but the lassitude it caused would linger on, an innocuous segue into winter depression, which usually brought about winter weight gain as well. The lassitude and weight gain always made me feel like I lacked self-control, and I would internalize a certain amount of anger and resentment, aimed at myself, which just compounded the depression. Or the depression compounded the anger and resentment. Chicken or egg, really. The long and short of it is that I understand it, I understand it better now than I did even two years ago. I have to. My winter vacation in The Abyss taught me more about myself, my demons, my depression, and my strength, than anything I could have learned from any outside source. It taught me that when I feel the first tugging of that downward spiral I need to act and react immediately. I have to be able to step up, take control, lead myself back onto the path.
Some may say I am a control freak. Maybe so. But I know myself, I know myself very well, and I know how easily depression can sneak up, slip in unawares, and take hold with a death defying grip. I also know exactly what it takes to keep me happy, healthy, and moving forward with life. It is not a huge secret. It is not even complicated. It boils down to this: Workout with diligence, eat wholesome foods with a passion, keep Body and Brain occupied and strong. It is a very simple formula.
To this end, I am back to being an Accidental Vegetarian, eating massive amounts of leafy greens, baking and consuming vast quantities of my Roasted Winter Veg dish (see deasalcooks.blogspot.com), and avoiding processed anything. I have also kicked my workouts up a gear or two. Last night I cycled for an hour, doing 10 sets of Power Bursts (drop to lowest gear, pedal hard up to 85-90 rpm for about 20 seconds, then switch to normal gear and pedal for 2 minutes), and 40 minutes of core work. Tonight I hit the treadmill for the first time in a very long time. I haven't really ran since my 70.3, so I didn't want to over do it. I ran easy for a bit to warm up, then upped it to just above my 10K pace for 5 minutes. Then I alternated: 5 minutes of 10K pace, one circuit of upper body strength training, for 3 sets.
It is now officially my "Off Season," time to start building strength and speed now, then I will add endurance in a few months. So, sprints (in all three disciplines), power bursts, interval training, CrossFit, weight training, and Yoga will be the standard M.O. for the next few months, to get me through the holidays and into the dead of winter. Come January/February I will start building my endurance. I am looking at The Pacific Crest Long Course Tri in June for my first major event, another 70.3. But I am eyeing a few half marathons, and 25K trail runs before then. There is no time to slack, to take time off for melancholy. There is work to be done, events to prepare for, life to chase after, fun to be had. No time for slacking.
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