Turning Points

Getting back into training this week has been tough, mentally more than physically.  I've been pretty down on myself about where my training is at, and how much time I have until my event (38 days).  The sprint tri a couple weeks ago really scared me, and made me rather concerned that I wasn't where I need to be in my training.  Yesterday, last night, I really hit a point where I was down in the mouth about my training.  My three mile run was a double edged sword.  On one hand, I was able to run pretty much the whole three miles, and E ran with me and helped me pinpoint where some of my stride issues may be coming from.  Both of those things are huge successes, it was just really hard to see that in the moment.  All I could think was "wow, 3 miles was that hard and when it comes to my race, I have to run double that.  A good pep talk later, I realized that E was right, and that everything I have read about mental state in training is really true.  If I don't believe in myself, and if I don't make this a fun experience again, than it won't be.  I won't reach my goals, and I won't finish if I'm just grinding through it.  So today starts with a positive mental state, and a resolution that I am going to enjoy training again.  For the first half of all this, it was a release, and then I got bogged down, tired and frustrated.  So, no more.  Back to enjoying it, living in the moment, and focusing on the lifestyle I want.