Am I new to this triathlon thing?!

Looks like the cruiser bikes will need some work once they thaw out! I've needed some TLC after this season as well! Its been 3 1/2 weeks into my 6-week hiatus and I am just starting to feel like myself again! I rested well a few days after the race, but then I quickly got into my routine of "light training". What a rookie mistake! I tell my athletes to take serious off time both for their bodies and their heads, and what do I do? I start training after a grueling season where my body is just hanging on and I am mentally toast!

The week after Cozumel I was back swimming with my team, lifting, and running quite often. I took some time off the bike ( less than a week), but decided to go out with my buddy and ended up bonking on a ride that was too long for me two weeks out from Ironman. I told myself, "Three hours easy shouldn't bother you Danielle!" ...but it did. I was dragged to a 7 Eleven by my riding partner, Kevin where he bought me a powerbar and some Gatorade. Thank you Kevin! After eating and drinking my body responded quickly and I was able to make it back home! "Note to self: bonking 2 weeks out from a disastrous race in IM is definitely NOT a smart thing to do!"

So, knowing that the weather would be warm one last day, I decided to back up the 3 hour bonk-ride with an hour and a half swim team practice and a 2 hour ride the very next day... Again...not the smartest idea! At one point Kevin turned to go up a "steep hill" and I simply stopped and refused to follow him up it. I did not think I could make it up the hill without tipping over! He had to turn around and come back down! I averaged 112 watts on the bike and was spent. Again...not one of my brightest moments! I found myself constantly sleepy, dragging myself out of bed in the morning... The "easy training" I have been used to was feeling really tough and taking it's toll on my body and my mind. What I was used to not affecting me was making me feel like I was putting in wicked hard training sessions! This was a wake-up call as I was fearful that I would get myself really sick...maybe develop chronic fatigue and not bounce back at all!

That was a week ago and I have not been on the bike since. I've run a bit, but all easy and I have continued to swim, but just a couple of sessions...Ive also gone hiking , which was a fantastic change of pace! My tough workout was shoveling out the driveway with George on Sunday (Im taking a much needed photo break here while he shovels!)...I was more sore from shoveling than I have been in a while!

So, finally I came to my senses and decided to take my "off time" much more seriously! One week later and I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER! Practice what you preach, eh?! Now I am looking at 2 1/2 weeks more of off time. My goal after 6 weeks is to feel like I cannot wait to get back to training... So I will continue my serious rest through the holidays and back it up with a trip to Vail for some fun activities like snowshoeing, cross country skiing and some partying as well!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you all have been smarter that I have been during the off season! I also want to give my best wishes and a speedy recovery to Jim MacWhinnie who survived a very serious accident a couple of weeks ago. It seems that Jim has beat the odds and pulled through due to his strength both physically and mentally... His family and friends are calling him a miracle... My thoughts and best wishes are with Jim and his family!