a "too much" tuesday

Well, four days of intense workouts. And three workouts on Tuesday. So maybe that's too much "Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday"!
It's not anything unusual for me this training cycle. But coming off of a BIG training weekend and following that with a tempo run in the hills on Monday (oh, and yoga, too), well, by Tuesday night's core + spin workout, I was fried. Done. Spent. Exhausted. Drained. You get the picture. And those of you who have ever trained for anything know that I'm not unique in being in this place and feeling like this.
But what struck me as I was leaving the PTC Tuesday night was that I was oddly invigorated, too. At least mentally, and here's why.
ADRENALIN: I'm afraid I'm becoming an adrenalin junkie. And the only thing bad about that is that I'm not convinced it's that good for my endocrine system! That being said, I get a total adrenalin rush with each workout. Even if it's not a super strong one. But there is something amazing at a very physical level about pushing your body in this way. All sorts of feel good chemicals are released...stress is released...you feel empowered even if you're worn out.
INSPIRATION: Monday as I was running the hills by myself - no coach to yell (I mean, encourage me), no teammates to try to keep up with...just me and the hills and the stone delivery guy who saw me pass twice and looked at me like I was nuts both times - I asked myself (only once or twice?!) what the heck I was doing out there at 2:00 p.m. (having rearranged my workout schedule to accommodate a school function at night). Running the hills when it was hot and humid and I'd run 20 miles the day before. So back to my original question, "What was I doing out there?"
Getting my workout in, of course. Making my legs do something they really didn't want to do. Pushing myself past the point of comfort into a steady state of discomfort. Doing something that two years ago I never imagined I would do. And on this day, putting myself through both a physical and mental workout - the latter being just as tough as the former - and proving to myself (because really even the stone delivery guy wouldn't get it!) what I was made of. As I ran the last mile pushing much harder than my body wanted to go and willing myself to make the interval I had set on the first mile, all I could think about was "this is how you will feel in that/those last mile/s of Ironman and you will remember this and you will tap back into this workout and you will finish strong - or at least know that you can." And with that silly message I smiled and pushed myself up the hill at Meriden and down the hill on 12th Street, around the corner on Possum Trot and to my finish line. Yes, the workout was about much more than a 5K tempo run that day.
TEAMMATES: they really a priceless. And when you do some workouts without them...or when you make it through 20 miles on the trail after 100 miles on the bike the previous day with them...you realize just what a difference it makes to have them around. The support we provide one another is amazing. The encouragement unparalleled. And the shared experiences and emotions incredible. Beyond that, having the chance to see someone fulfill a dream is just one of the most wonderful things in the world, in my opinion.
Tuesday's triple workout ended up being more than my body really wanted to deal with on Wednesday morning when I ignored my alarm, slept an extra 10 minutes, and went to Stacy Pool to swim on my own instead of swimming at Circle C. Missed a practice with Chrissie...boo. But ended up having a great swim. Pretty much a non-stop set that I made up with different intervals and equipment. And again, as much of a mental challenge as a physical challenge. No one to "race against" in the next lane. No teammates to try to keep up with. No interval handed down by a coach. Just me, the 33.3 yards of lane, the dude next to me who was doing backwards butterfly, and my watch...and it was good training time. (And seeing Michelle in the parking lot after my workout was an added treat!)
Now it's Wednesday night and I opted out of our track workout tonight...trying to be "smart" about my training, taking advantage of a "rest" week, and needing to get some errands run! I'm appreciating the rest, the balance in my life, and feeling a little more on top of things other than my training. That being said, whenever I'm not at a workout I know I've missed out on something good...so I'll be back on the bandwagon tomorrow!