Reality Check

I went to a friend's surprise 40th birthday party last night against my better judgment. I knew it would be incredibly crowded and difficult to navigate with my arm. But this woman is the kind of person everyone loves. She is the kind of person you risk bodily harm to go out and celebrate with. So I went and took my chances. It was at my local bar, the one that used to occupy all my free time before triathlon and the one I still frequent at least two days a week. It was nice to catch up with some friends I haven't seen for weeks, but I definitely paid the price. I took about three hard blows to the shoulder and was grabbed a couple times in a span of less than an hour. It was as though anyone who passed by me was drawn to my busted shoulder and just couldn't help but slam into it. I'm still glad I went, but I had to make an early departure.

I ended up battling the worse case of insomnia all night afterward. My shoulder was throbbing and I just couldn't seem to fall asleep. I tossed and turned from midnight to 2 or so, woke up at 5:20 and finally got up at 6. The master plan for today was 45 minutes on the trainer before work and another attempt at swimming after work. I managed to get in 35 minutes on the trainer, but decided to skip the swim. My shoulder ached all day and I just don't want to push it.

This force me to do a reality check. It is 99.99% certain I will not be able to recover in time to do any more triathlons this year. I've been holding onto a shred of hope that I will be able to do one of my late season races, but with every day coming and going with marginal improvement, I'm accepting that it isn't likely to happen. I think I've known this all along, but I just didn't want to admit it. It's incredibly disappointing, but I have a marathon to focus on now. I'm going to continue my cross training and keep it balanced with resting in an effort to keep up some level of running fitness so I can get right back to training when the doctor clears me.

I have an incredibly exciting triathlon season ahead in 2009 and so much to look forward to. Im starting with my first half-Ironman, I'll have another half in the summer and then Ironman Wisconsin in September. My new bike is also waiting for me. So on the emotional roller coaster that is my recovery, at least for today, I'm feeling at peace with how things are and am focusing on what lies ahead. I can't guarantee I'll feel the same way tomorrow, but I'll certainly try.

Biking (on trainer)
Distance - 8.3 miles
Time - 35:00