Darwin

So here we are, Darwin again. The birth town of Triathlon for me.

Always nice to be back in D-town, even if only for a few days. This time of year is about the absolute best time of year to be here, where you can walk around and not be sweating and even wear jeans in the evenings and be comfortable. The weather is particularly welcome given the weather we are having in Perth at the moment.

While I am up here for work, these trips can often provide a great opportunity to also get in a bit of training. When your commitments to family and friends are removed you suddenly have quite a bit of time to fill with exercise if you so desire. A bit of running, some very enjoyable swims, it can be a good place for exercise when the weather is this good. I came to town geared up for a bit of training if the opportunity arose, but to be honest I am not sure I am going to get there, at least not tomorrow anyway, still not feeling 100%.

This cold has still not become that bad and I suspect that it will not. However, it is bad enough for me to be feeling average and to suspect that training will be off the cards for a couple more days at least. In the end my gut feel is that I will take it easy while up here, have a day of exercise when I get back to Perth and then head off on holiday. Not my plan A for training, but also not the worst way to be getting over a cold.

The break from training that is coming from this cold and also from the holiday is not something that sits comfortably on my mind. I struggle with the idea of resting from exercise, even when I know it is necessary either to get well or for a much needed mental break. I know it is an issue that many athletes struggle with and not something I have ever figured out an answer too, as much as I wish I could. But as uncomfortable as it is mentally, I know the break will be good for me mentally and will give me a chance to get the body right before a big push into nationals. I will lose fitness for sure, but I will also have 13 weeks in which to regain that fitness for nationals, which is plenty of time.

Resting from training is not something that athletes like doing very often, but I have to remind myself that the world goes on regardless and fitness always rebuilds with time. Might as well relax and enjoy myself in the meantime.