If you read my race recap post about the 70.3 in Jeju, you would recall me lamenting about how I’ve lost a lot of fitness and felt fatigued all the time. I was traveling a lot, eating and drinking tons, and also trained at a very “comfortable” level. I still worked out basically everyday but did not push myself… and it showed. Runs were particularly painful and I found myself dreading them. This was frustrating. Distances that I used to power through felt long and tiring. My legs felt heavy and I wondered how I ever ran at paces that I had before! I started regretting how I slacked off before, but I could only whine and blame myself for so long. I am aware of how much fitness I’ve lost now, so what I should do is to use this as the trigger to train my butt off and to keep myself accountable. I also realized that while it is important to encourage myself to be better and work harder, I also should not be too hard on myself and know that it takes time to get the fitness back. I had a setback, but this reset also gave me new motivation and drive.

After Jeju, I had two months until World Champs. Not a ton of time, but definitely enough time to see some improvements. We had another short trip to London but I made sure that I ran almost everyday at Hyde Park and also swam in the Serpentine. It can be hard to stay on track when you travel, but you just have to plan ahead and make it a priority! I also made a detailed training schedule for leading up to the full in December. I could manage a 70.3 even when I was not at my fittest, but the full is not something I can wing. I am going to make sure that I did everything in my power to prepare myself for the full. It’s a sucky feeling going into a race knowing you didn’t prepare enough and not feeling confident. It’s also a super sucky feeling feeling sluggish and weak! Having a good routine is so important, along with having a partner and friends who motivate you and give you pressure with their workouts (thanks Strava)!

We’re only human, and sometimes we fall off the wagon. Here are some tips to ensure you get back to it:

1. Admit that you have slacked off but don’t spend too much time being hard on yourself. You might be frustrated and feel like crap but you should use this as motivation to stop procrastinating and flip it around!
2. Make a detailed schedule or training plan. Apart from helping you get organized, planning my workouts get me really excited!
3. Identify what went wrong before and how you can mitigate that in the future. For me, that was traveling and and overall relaxed attitude.
4. Find a group of people to work out with. Your teammates and workout buddies will keep you motivated and also accountable! You don’t want to be the only person who did not do a long run after the Sunday swim.
5. Sign up for an event. This isn’t a MUST do, but I definitely think that it’s much more exciting when you have something you’re working towards. You obviously should be working out for general fitness and health, but its always a ton of fun to be preparing for an event.
6. Share your progress/goals on social media or with friends. I also think that this is a great way to hold yourself accountable. Instead of alway saying that you will do something and putting it on the back burner, this allows your friends to check in with you and the support of friends is always good!
7. Trust the process. It is not always going to be easy and you won’t bounce back instantly. But just know that soon you will feel stronger and faster than before! The first few weeks getting back will probably be painful, but that will also be a reminder to not let yourself lose so much fitness in the future.

Since Jeju, I’ve been following the schedule and already feeling much stronger. There is still a long way to go, but I am excited to for the entire process and all the triumphant and painful (why the f did I do this) moments!