Singing the Ironman Blues

I'm having a hard time writing my B2B race report!  Every time I sit down to write it - I start to cry. I feel more like a sissy than an IRONWOMAN! At first, I was overwhelmed by gratitude. The number of people I am thankful for is out-matched only by the number miles I swam, biked and ran this season. Plus, I'm overwhelmed by the words and memories that are forcing their way into my head - fighting for space on the page. That's what happens when I don't write consistently! Plus, I miss IRONMAN! I miss the training, the adventures, the race itself! I'm in recovery mode - my first workout was yesterday in the pool - a short set of easy intervals and I did yoga this morning. I'm missing the endorphins of workouts and the anticipation of the race itself. 

One Sad Puppy

In a way, I feel like I'm re-entering the earth's orbit, or experiencing culture shock. What do normal people do on the weekend anyway? What do you do at 5:30a on a weekday? I know it's perfectly normal. It happens for lots of big events in my life. Here are ways I'm working on it [via ideas from this blog]:

A few things that may help:

• Expect it! Know that you’ll be coming down off the high, and that it won’t last. I know it's normal. And I knew it was coming. Heading to Florida the week after my race to support Jenni Sunshine at IMFLA was part of the plan! But now I'm experiencing double excitement-withdrawal blues. Ironman/Vacation is OVER. 
• Reflect on the positive and negative aspects of the race, and move on. I am -- slowly -- writing about the race. I've been collecting pictures and videos from friends and family and writing thank you notes to all those who texted, called and facebooked me in the days leading up to and following the race.
• Admit it to yourself or those around you for support. I'm blogging about it - does that count?
• Distract yourself with other activities you love and find meaning in. Ace and I went out for sushi - on a Friday night! I visited a longtime friend over the weekend (hi Sue!) and I'm going to Cucalorus this weekend.
• Set new goals to work toward. I have big ideas in my head for next year. I am eyeing a 10k in January and a big ride in the spring. BUT, I haven't registered for anything. It's fun to dream about all the races - before even committing!
• Recover Completely. I'm being kind to my body.  I am being careful to listen. It says: ouch. It says: don't run. My head and my heart want to go on a long ride and out for a run - but my legs say: no, thanks. I'm sleeping and foam-rolling and swimming and yoga-ing. But spin classes and my awesome run shoes must wait. Instead, I will rock the FINISHER pajama bottom - and my medal.