BACK FROM ILLNESS

I have not been able to blog these past four weeks because I have been fighting one of the worst viruses I have ever had. What started off as a simple cold turned into a snot-knocker that had me down for two weeks and now, four weeks later, I am still fighting it.

I have not been able to train at all and am still at 80-85%. My training and race calendar need to be re-adjusted to account for my time lost in the base building phase. Wildflower Long Course is, unfortunately, out. It's not a race you can fake and will do longer term damage to my fitness and mental preparation.

I basically have to start my training cycle from scratch and I doubt that any of my early season training and fitness will be there when I begin again. It's unfortunate, but it is part of the lesson.

When I first got sick at the end of February I really should have slowed down and listened to my body. Instead, I was too impatient and started to train again after only a few days of resting. The body never lies. It always comes down to whether I want to put aside my ego and listen to what my body is telling me.

I always lose when I don't.

And I'm paying for it now.

After meeting with my coach, Muddy, we decided that we would wait until I felt 100% to get focused again. I am looking at getting things started next week.

The good news is that it is still very early in the year and I still have an opportunity to get solid training in before IMW.

2ND WEEK UPDATE

I'm glad the season is a long one and that I am starting early in my build up. I have Wildflower Long Course on May 1st as my first A race of the year.

My 2nd week of focused training turned into a greater challenge of balancing work and health. I was focused on a presentation during Sunday and Monday of last week and had to work into the early morning hours.

The presentation was a sort of "State of Sereno Group" looking at where our company has come from and looking forward to our goals ahead. It was also a reminder that our company culture is one of our most important gifts and that everyone at Sereno Group needs to work to protect and nurture it.

The presentation to the Los Gatos and Saratoga agents went well. And I am glad I worked as hard as I did, but the by-product of that effort gave me a cold that I have been trying to shake since Tuesday.

I wasn't even close to 100% all week and really did not want to train while fighting a cold. I worked hard at my Wednesday turbo training class and ran 50 minutes on Thursday, but I didn't feel at all good and shut it down.

The week was a positive one in other aspects of my life. Vibe was great at work and the presentation really set up the rest of 2010 for everyone. We have a good picture of what we need to do moving forward as an organization.

Training wise, the week was a wash, but I am not going to trip too much on it. The season is a long one with many good days and many not so good days. I have to be mindful enough to let go of the not so good and focus on the good.

This is not something I can easily do, but I have worked hard not to get my mind on the treadmill of guilt. The biggest challenge with triathlon, I think, is not getting faster, but the balance that one has to maintain in order to create success in all facets of life.

This was something I had to learn the hard way, but it is a lesson well learned and understood for me.

I was okay with my food choices this week, but I did indulge on a few fries. I picked off of my wife's plate and they weren't as good as I thought they would be. The week of inactivity probably did not do me any favors, but I am still in good spirits and excited to be where I am.

I am still fighting the cold, but I hope to get back to training by tomorrow. I am writing this post while mobile and do not have access to my scale. I will update the numbers later.

Happy living.