Upwards spiral

After writing about searching for rhythm yesterday I think I may have finally started to find some today.

Being a Saturday I went out for my usual long Saturday ride. That in itself is not unusual, not going out for a ride on Saturday morning would probably be stranger. The big difference for me today was that this morning I set out with the intention of riding a decent distance and doing a bit of work. Probably the most intention I have carried into a ride since Ironman WA.

When I first set out I still wasn't entirely comfortable, still feeling a bit 'off' that I wrote about yesterday. But I stuck with it and before long I settled into the session.

Although I haven't ridden that far or that fast since Ironman WA, today's session was a great reminder of how big a base Ironman training gives you. I was amazed how good I was feeling once the kms started building. Today was another scorching hot day in Perth today (38 degrees C), but even as the temperature started to build I continued to feel okay. I drank about 5 litres of water on the ride, but I got through the session tired, but all around feeling okay.

Today's ride combined with yesterday's swim go a long way to helping me feel like the training is getting back on track. With the training comes confidence which will in turn help training go well in the future.

This circle of training building confidence which in turn helps training is an important, but fragile one. As confidence and fitness build the training almost becomes easier. The work doesn't decrease, but the belief in your ability to handle the work makes it easier to get yourself out the door. But as powerful as this self-fulfilling prophesy can be, it can be equally devastating when the training isn't working. As the training struggles, so does the confidence, which damages the training further, making you doubt whether you can get through a session. As the doubt grows so does the temptation to skip sessions because you are sure you will fail at them. It can be a destructive downward spiral.

It is this sort of downward spiral that I have been battling for the last month or so. I wouldn't say I have pulled out of the tail spin entirely yet, but these last couple of days are making me feel like a return to level flying is not far away.