Finding Balance

As I dive deep into the training world again the most important thing to remember is balance.  Years ago I was all about giving up this and that to enhance my performance.  At 42 years old I am wiser and believe it or not, stronger both mentally and physically.  While I'm not stuck in an awful corporate job like I was in 2009, I still have a lot to balance, fortunately though I have a positive and healthy environment this time around, which is a world of difference.

Balance doesn't just mean, "getting it all done".   When considering balance, one has to really focus on the mind and body connection.  For example, if I have an evening date planned with the husband and I spend that day doing a long & hard workout, my mind will be on sleeping, rather than him.  I have seen my athlete friends do that quite a bit, weeks and weeks go by and they can't understand why their spouse seems so distant.  Find the balance.  When considering the mind and body connection, it's also important to remember that regardless of how focused you are on your goal (the mind part), your body gives you messages along the way.  Ignoring those messages are what lead to injury, over training, depression, etc....  How many times have you felt an injury coming on and you ignored it because you had to do that next run?  We're all guilty.  I rarely give my athletes whom I coach more than 1 weeks worth of workouts at a time.  I ask for a detailed summary each week so I can cater the workouts to their busy lives, important dates and energy level.  This prevents them from training through exhaustion or not having energy for life's important moments.

So, I have a had a great couple of weeks of training.  My diet is where I want it to be as is my energy level. I am on a 15 days on with one active recovery day at about day 7 and then a total day of rest that includes a massage.  Today is my rest day and I feel like I'm on vacation (minus 2 meetings and working the shop) but it's rest all the same.

For running I'm at 27 miles a week
Swimming 7,200 yards/week
Cycling 4-6 hours/week
Weight training 3 x's /week

I'm pretty comfortable with this volume through December although I will bump up the running to 35 miles a week as I'm preparing for a 50k in March.

I found a great recipe that I would love to share, it's high in protein with very little fat.
Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili:
http://www.thekitchn.com/vegetarian-recipe-black-bean-sweet-potato-and-quinoa-chili-166739
*I did substitute the water with vegetable broth for more flavor.

Thank you for reading this blog, I hope it helps offer some motivation for you as we train through the winter months.

Happy Training!
Beth

Active Recovery is when you do a light/low heart-rate workout such as an easy yoga class or light swim.  You're keeping the blood moving without zapping energy.