Spring is here

And it kicked my ass

It’s been a couple months since my last post. I finished up February strong and reaching my goal of running everyday. Then, right as March and the spring weather rolled in, I started struggling.

I had trouble waking up and finding the energy to get through my day, no less half-Ironman training. I ended my string of running everyday unceremoniously. Then I would miss a workout here and there. I’d cut easy bike rides short. I tried modifying my workouts to ease up and and I still struggled. I competed in a half marathon on my favorite running route, the C&O Canal Towpath, in mid-March and I fared poorly. Disappointed as I was, I didn’t even have the heart to write up a race report.

I was beginning to despair—maybe I’m not cut out for this anymore, I’m getting old, I must have some chronic illness… One evening not long after the half marathon, my partner suggested it could be allergies. One dose of Benadryl later, I was already starting to feel better.

Having grown up here, I’ve always known that the allergens in the DC metro area have given me fits. It seems that my response this year has been so severe and acute, it’s affected my energy and disposition in a way I didn’t even recognize as an allergic reaction. Maybe the nature of my body’s response is changing as I get older. In any case, getting on a daily supplement of non-drowsy allergy meds has helped my energy and motivation return. Now I’m back to a good stretch of uninterrupted training and looking forward to getting after it this race season.

Now I’m less than a week away from my first triathlon in nearly two years. I’ll be competing in a local event, the Kinetic Multisports Rumpass in the Bumpass, an Olympic distance race down the road in Northern Virginia. Can’t wait.

Photo by Terence Starkey on Unsplash