Midseason Fatigue

OK, I didn't mean to offend any of you by leaving out your favorite "Oz" people. There were a couple of folks who thought the Bosleys should be included (both Tom and that creepy assistant guy from Charley's Angels), but a lot more were in favor of the Osmonds -- Ken (pictured here) and, of course, Donny.

I'm sure no one would argue with the idea that Donny Osmond is one of the greatest performers of all time. But when I was in college, I got into an argument with my roommate over whether Donny was better than Michael Jackson. Mickey was convinced that Michael would have the more successful career, while I argued that Donny would be popular long after Michael had faded from the spotlight. I think we all know how that turned out.

I think Mickey owes me an apology. Donny totally rocks, man!

Anyway, I had a busy Friday morning. It started with a pretty good swim practice. We did a broken 825 (half a 1650), and I felt pretty good and worked it hard -- finishing in 10:20. We also did a bunch of sprinting with fins on...which I came to regret shortly thereafter.

Well, actually, I'm not sure it was the fin work that did it. But after swim practice, Reynold and I went out for a run. There were quite a few spots where the snow and ice made the footing treacherous, and due to my poor balance and lack of coordination, I'm extremely cautious over such sections. But even on the dry sidewalks, I was struggling. I tried to relax and think "chi running", but my legs were having none of it. Each footstep felt like an earthquake, and my cadence was positively glacial.

But that's the nice thing about exercise; even when you have a bad workout...you've still had a workout. It feels good to finish, and even if you're slow and clumsy, you still get some sort of training benefit.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Anyway, after the run, I went to the doctor to get my stitches out. Quick and painless; and the result of the incision is nearly invisible. So for now, other than slow legs and mildly elevated cholesterol, I have a clean bill of health.

So here's my theory: My slow run is a symptom of midseason fatigue. In other words, I've finally been working out enough to be a bit broken down. This hasn't happened for a while, since over the past few years I've been in the habit of taking some time off whenever I get too tired. But right now, I'm trying to stick to a regular workout schedule, even if I don't feel too zippy.

My hope is that this fatigue is indicative of a training state similar to what I experienced during midseason training as a youth...and that I'll suddenly feel a burst of speed when I taper (like I did back then.) Of course, the additional decades of wear and tear may lead to slightly different results than when I was a schoolboy...but we'll just have to wait and see. Right?

I'm swimming in a meet on Sunday. I'm not tapering for it, so it'll be interesting to see how fast I can go.

Oh, let's be real -- I'm just going to the meet so I can pig out at the potluck afterwards. I'll do the best I can in the 50 Taz, but the rest of the events will be strictly for fun. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, keep up your training, and have a great day!