A challenge, by its very definition, will have its ups and downs. We all know this. But it's something that we don't always remember when we commit to a challenging endeavour. We focus on the largely on the glory of overcoming some difficulty, and not so much on the difficulty itself. Which is probably for the best. If that weren't the case, we'd be a society full of nay-sayers, and wouldn't be where we are today as a society or as individuals. But, the difficulties are still there whether we recognize them from the start or not. Because a challenge, by it's very definition, will have its ups and downs.
After reading that paragraph, this next sentence may not come as much of a surprise. But...I've hit my first training slump. Now, before I go any further, let me say this: I know I'll get over it. I've trained for races before. I've taken on challenges before, both physical and otherwise. I'm not one to shy away when something gets hard. But this week has not been easy. It's week four of training. I've gotten up at 6:30 (sometimes 4:45...yes, 4:45AM) almost every day for the last 3.5 weeks, including on weekends. It's starting to catch up to me. I'm tired. My legs are tired. My arms are tired. I'm hungry a lot. And tomorrow, I have to get up and do it again. And the next day and the next day, until September 9.
So what's been getting me through? There are a few thoughts I've been cycling through to keep myself going. The first is that I know on race day I'll be thankful for every minute I spent training. If it's going to make race day even a little bit easier, it'll be worth it. The second is that I know this is just a slump. Slumps come and go, and I really do love being getting out and running or biking, and sometimes, I even enjoy the swimming. So I know next week will be better.
But, and I swear this is the truth, the biggest thing that has gotten me through has been all the support I've received so far. Thinking of the everyone who has donated or sent me words of encouragement really does push me to keep going. I owe it to each of you to get myself across the finish line. And I will. It won't be easy, and this probably won't be the last slump. But I'll get there. One day at a time, one workout at a time, one donation at a time, and I'll get there.
