"This is your life...And it's ending one minute at a time."

So I've had some personal mishaps lately. It was a rough weekend and the days are only getting worse. Without going into detail, relationships are one of the hardest things in life. Love isn't quantifiable. It's not like a workout we can track, mileage we can clock, or a pace we can set. There are ups and downs that come at the times when you least expect them. I think if you're truly in love (like I am), there is no limit to the suprises (good and bad) that come out of that love. In the end, I just hope everything turns out for the best, no matter how good it feels or how much it hurts.

As far as training is concerned, I've reached the taper. Unbeknownst to my coach (sorry John), I started my taper a bit earlier than planned. Toward the end of my buildup to Timberman, I started to feel like crap on a regular basis. I don't sleep much, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. Also, a few weeks back, I was having INSANE workouts. I felt like I was invincible, and, in hindsight, this was the beginning of what certainly could have been the end for me. I was going out each and every day thinking that there would be no end to my fitness. I was healthy, fast, and felt great, so why stop?

Well, that soon came crashing down as in the next weeks I was totally burned out. It's true what they say about how peak fitness is like being at the edge of a cliff: Control it and you won't fall-push to much and you'll go tumbling down. Luckily, I caught a branch on the side of the cliff on the way down and was able to pull myself back up. It took some good friends to convince me that actually taking a step back was what I needed. So I took their advice, (Plus the wisdom of Lucho and Matty Reed-both of whom were kind enough to comment and leave me some great training advice) took some time to bring the volume down a notch, and now I feel like myself again.
I have no doubt that Timberman will be my best race to date. I've decided to have no specific expectations about this race, only to let it happen. Another major mistake I have made is expecting too much too quickly. I have a lot of talent in this sport, and there is a lot that I will do with it, but it will take some time. As Matt Reed said in his comment, "There are no shortcuts." I've got to do the work and put in the time-I'm still new to this for goodness sake! The strides I've made this season (namely becoming an actual swimmer!) are definately things I'm proud of. I plan on taking the advice I've gotten from others, lay back, and let the race unfold in front of me. ENDURANCE is the name of the game.

So this weekend we'll see where this strategy leaves me. I'm sure that New Hampshire will be a fun time and I'll learn quite a bit. I'm looking forward to the education.

Push 'till ya puke...Always.