Ya Gotta Know When to Shut "Er Down

Tally:
IM Arizona Countdown: 4 1/2 months
Today's Workout: No Hours
Today's Studying: Five Hours

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before I get any negative feedback on my fitness output for the day, I should also mention that this was my first "day off" in at least eight days. Believe it or not, this was not caused by procrastination. So instead, I spent my day taking a practice test (and another one as soon as I post this) and taking care of my laundry (does anyone else wash their clothes three-four times a week, and mostly because it's workout clothes? Jeesh. And no joke, it gets to stinkin' in the basket, so it HAS to be washed with increasing frequently). But I digress.

On a separate, and less foul-smelling note, I decided to get a coach. I have been working off a training program that Larry devised (did I mention he is a two-time IM finisher? Oh, don't worry if I didn't tell ya, I am sure he would, if you ever met him). It is actually pretty accurate, when compared to other plans, so I trust it. However, I decided that, given the fact that I have some major weaknesses (core strength being the biggest culprit, and aided, in no small part, by my refusal to work on it) and that I will likely need some motivation throughout the dead of winter here in Chicago, it was a necessary expense. Sure, it's all fun and easy to dream big and imagine hearing "Megan you are an Ironman" with the Arizona desert in the backdrop, but you forget that it means riding 6 hours in February in Chicago, or climbing out of bed at 5AM in the pitch black sub-zero windchill to put on a bathing suit and jump in a cold pool. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

So why didn't I just wait to do Florida? I was asked that earlier today. Because, as noted in the sidebar, I am IMPATIENT. I did my first couple tri's this year, bumped up quickly to the half-irons, and, like any other addict and their drug of choice, I needed to continue feeding my addiction as quickly as possible. I get the flaw in reasoning, really I do. Also, I would be lying if I said I didn't love the training. But alas, I have said too much, so I'll save that nugget of insight to the next post.