June 20 - July 10

74 Days left until the World Triathlon Champs Sprint Race

So what's happened over the last 3 weeks?

I spent a day recovering from the exam, more so the laxative juice still floating around in my gut, before I headed back into training. I started to get back into a decent roll of training, knocking out a few 60-90 minute sessions, and even got my running up to just over 60 minutes without too much of a problem.and exercising more regular. It's amazing how much better you feel when you have regular exercise in you life.
No dramas, but my mood seems to be improving as I bury my health concerns,

25th - PROBLEM DAY
I hurt my back!!! It wasn't even anything worthwhile that I was doing either. Damn thing has been causing me more and more grief over the last few years. I can hardly turn/stretch let alone do anything productive. Man I feel old. Coaching this week will definitely a struggle, and work. Just the knowledge of knowing I won't be training in the next few days is bringing my mood down. So my challenge is definitely be keeping my head space right, not getting angry over stupid things and keep active.

After getting some physio, and a couple of days of rest has the body back into a state where I can get active again. My back is still not 100% but it shouldn't stop me from doing what I want to do. I do feel kind of blah of late though, not just physically, but mentally too. I don't feel up and I don't feel down, just blah. I do think I need a bit of guidance to help get out of this funk.

I'm not having much luck physically at the moment. I did a 90 minute run home from work, and as soon as I got to the hills near home, my left foot regressed back to how it felt in March/April. I have to really sort this out so I do not have to take a long time out of the sport. I remember Jane having to walk around on crutches for 6 months a few years ago and that was not fun. I really don't want to be like that. How do these physical challenges affect me mentally? I usually go into a blah mode, I don't do my rehab exercises religiously, nor do I continue to train properly. So how do I battle this?

OLYMPICS!!!!
What a great time. I love watching as much as I can. Pity about the time difference so most of the action will be happening while I'm supposed to be asleep. Do I sit on the bike and do some indoor training while I watch the games or, what i have been doing the last year or so, sit on my butt and just watch TV.

The nagging foot problem is definitely affecting me. Training is really weak, and I really need to do some real goal setting/planning to help me focus on a good process in order to get me back to where I was a few years ago. Mentally I feel like I'm pushing through mud all the time, I'm eating average foods, energy levels vary severely on a daily basis.

Thankfully I have been listening to a great podcast (Fitness Behaviour Podcast Episode 20) that I have been neglecting the last few months, and one of the episodes was about how to set realistic targets. Instead of target "big goals" set targets on how to make "yourself a better version". I had been entering events to give me motivation to train, whereas by what this podcast suggests, I should be planning how to be better at eating, training, sleeping better on a daily basis to create that better version of myself. If I can achieve those small goals, those bigger goals will just come. Big goal setting has not been working for me, so this shift of thinking might be just the fresh outlook I need to regain that focus I had a few years ago.