I've been a little self critical this week for my lack of serious training sessions. As I was climbing the 16' extension ladder up the side of my house for the bazzilionth time this evening, after 2 weeks of scraping, sanding, scraping some more, priming, and caulking I thought back over the last seven days:
Saturday, after a full day of work, I did a tough endurance swim of descending sets. Then got home, ate a quick, protein packed meal and worked on the house painting until dark. Sunday morning, I was debating a cycling and leg workout, or getting right to work on the house painting, when my pager went off. I spent nearly 6 hours on a structure fire, hauling hose, climbing ladders, raking debris, chucking burnt wood, with only a few quick breaks for water and granola bars. The barn was a total loss, but we saved the house, the trees, and the chickens. I admit, I was a bit tired after that, and had previous plans to deliver a pair of kittens so the rest of the day was shot. Monday I got right to work on the house and spent 8+ hours scraping, sanding, climbing up and down a ladder, and lifting and moving the ladder. Paint scraping is an amazing upper body and core workout. Tuesday I worked all day, hit the pool for a tough strength building swim, home for a quick meal and a cup of coffee, then painted until sundown. Wednesday, my body rebelled and laid me low with a stomach bug; I slept 28 out of 36 hours. Thursday, feeling under the gun to get caught up on painting the house, I worked pretty solid with more scraping (there has been a damned lot of scraping), sanding, painting, and climbing up and down the damned ladder to the peak of the house. Today, I got home from work, had a cup of coffee, some hummus and crackers, and some fresh fruit, then back out onto the ladder to paint the primer onto the peak. Multiple trips up and down the ladder. Again, painting until sundown.
The epiphany, as I was climbing the ladder was this: Essentially, I participated in an endurance event Sunday. Anyone who says that firefighting is not an endurance event has not shagged hose for hours, then raked through wet, burned debris hunting for possible hotspots, and finally rolling up and loading all the hoses and gear. You get worn out on the fire grounds, then return to the station and spend another 30-60 minutes washing hose and restoring the rigs. Rolling and hauling 2-1/2" hose when you're already tired takes on a certain air of jocularity, when you feel so damned feeble. Honestly though, what I do is nothing compared to full time firefighters that work in areas with high rise buildings. I can't imagine the fitness level it takes to haul a house bundle up flight after flight, in full gear, with SCBA. It boggles the mind. What I realized, on the ladder this evening, was that I had expended more energy than if I had run a marathon, but without the advantage of a taper, pre-race carb load, or calorie dense race morning breakfast. And, I did not let myself have a recovery week. Instead, my body decided to get sick to force me to get caught up on rest.
I can be too hard on myself at times. True, I am not training to anywhere near the level that I was last summer. But I am expending energy in different arenas, such as house painting and construction, not to mention the occasional emergency call. I have been riding my own ass because my weight is up 4 pounds from my race day weight last summer. 4 pounds... that is nothing. Nothing. I could lose that in a few weeks of just eating fewer chocolate chips at night. But I choose to not cut myself too much slack because it is all too easy to fall into slovenly habits, regain weight, lose conditioning, skip a workout or two or three.
But this week, I deserved a bit of rest that I didn't really allow myself. Partly because I am running out of dry weather and the house has to get painted. But largely because it is not easy for me to allow myself to take it easy. I want to push myself. I enjoy the challenges I put in front of myself. Besides, if I don't push me, who will? Endurance swim tomorrow after work, by the way, then more painting.
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