Base Building Phase = Beware! Bitchy Personality!

Last Saturday, one of my bike friends invited me to his place near Morrow mountain. We did a 3 hour ride which included climbing the mountain. The climb was the steepest I have ever attempted since I started riding in November. I know this will sound psycho but I'd rather climb hills than go downhill. I have this fear of flying over the handle bars and knocking my teeth out when I'm speeding down the hill. I was squeezing my rear brake so hard going down the mountain that my hand started hurting. I've got to get over this fear, my top speed down the mountain was 32mph. I'm such a wimp! I've gone faster down the rolling hills around my house. You should have seen the guys flying down the mountain, it looked like a lot of fun. My friend complained her quads hurt after that ride but my saddlebags(outer thighs/hips) hurt more. Not sure what that means. I slept really well that night.

Sunday, I had to run for 85 min. which was about 11 miles. This is the longest I have ever run in my entire life too. After my run, I went to the grocery store and spent $130.00. After my shopping binge I was really tired. Just the thought of unloading all the grocery bags from the van seemed like a huge challenge. I had already decided on this gourmet meal I was going to prepare. Chicken breasts stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and feta and pasta salad.

My husband came home after I unpacked the groceries and was working on dinner. He asked me what was wrong because I was so quiet. I assured him nothing was bothering me, I was just really tired. He asked why was I preparing such a complicated meal if I was tired. "Because I require high quality food, not crap like burgers and fries." He probably should have realized I wasn't in the best of moods by that response. Guess he didn't get the clue because he then told me he wasn't going to eat any of the chicken because he didn't like mushrooms or feta. This stopped me pounding the chicken breasts with my metal mallet. I felt using the mallet on his dome piece for a brief second. Instead, I went on a rant about not understanding what tired really feels like. How much planning it takes to prepare a healthy meal. How I'm sick of complainers and if he doesn't like something he should keep it to himself. I really lost it, my heart was beating faster ranting than during my 11 mile run.

I talked to my friend about my attitude the next day. Small things seem to set me off. I joked that I'm afraid my husband will divorce me before my Half Ironman. She told me about the training plan she is following. She told me to look up what it says about completing the base building phase. Here is what I found:
"By the end of the base building phase, some of you may start to get a little grumpy and irritable. This is due to the fact that you are pushing that overtrained state. Fortunately, the speedwork phase begins the following week. During this period you will be cutting back on the mileage/yardage while maintaining your overall endurance. This will also provide you with the added rest for which are looking. You will probably experience an increase in energy and your attitude will start to err towards the positive side!"

A little grumpy and irritable? I'm not following the same plan but now I know that I'm not alone with the bitchy feelings. I don't get a day off this week so I'm not expecting to feel a lot better. I do think there is a need for a "Spouse of a Triathlete Sanity Bible". I don't think my husband understood that training can affect my emotional state. I honestly didn't realize it either. I'm making a effort to hold my tongue and stay away from others when I'm extremely tired.

Even though I'm a grouch, I'm excited that I'm completing my goals. The workouts I finished last week were tough and I never thought at this time last year possible. I'm still growing and surprising myself on a daily basis.

Thanks for loving me grouch and all, honey.