Messing with Success-- adding Trail Running and a liberal dose of CrossFit to the Traditional Ironman Recipe

I read all the books.  I took notes.  I watched all the YouTube videos.  I studied and trained by the book for years before competing in my first Ironman.  It was a success.  I wanted immediately to do another one, and my dear, long suffering hubby bought my entry to Ironman Chattanooga 2018 as my Christmas gift.  

And then about April, I tired of the training.  Whenever I tried to push myself, I fell short of my best effort.  Some of my motivation could be remedied with a rest day or two, but then it never fully came back.  I was slacking off as my training should have been heating up, and I couldn't seem to do anything about it. 


So what did I do?  I stopped road running and began to do long, slow trail runs with the dogs and with my trail running friend, Amy Benton.  I forgot about pace and started enjoying the scenery.  My theory was/is that trail running strengthens the legs, ankles, and feet in a way that road running does not.  Also, I like it better.  This may or may not be a great idea.

My two happy running pals.

Even more questionable, what do I do only 8 weeks away from Ironman Number Two?  When by all accounts I am supposed to be logging my longest miles, I experiment with CrossFit.  In the past month, I've put in 15+ hours of CrossFit and have been too sore and fatigued to put in even half the mileage that would be normal during peak Ironman training.  This may not end well.  And I'll have a mountain of I Told You So to dig my way out of.
Can I blame Tanya Linger for issuing the CrossFit invitation?

The intensity of a Crossfit class can only be experienced, not explained.  The soreness after my first class was crippling.  My coach, Jimmy Birdsong, immediately identified my weaknesses and began to focus on them.  Tight left shoulder.  Weak core.  Weak upper body.  "Leave your ego at the door," he said.  

The location of my greatest suffering.

I spend some portion of every class splayed on the concrete floor in a pool of my own sweat before a large fan trying to remember why I came to this torture chamber.  But I have realized this: CrossFit increases my tolerance for discomfort, and I can achieve more than I ever thought I could.  Thank you, Jimmy.

Surely all of this weight lifting, squatting, jumping, pull ups, and burpees must result in some benefit to triathlon training?  Surely, I will have greater endurance as I run and a stronger climb as I bike the hills?  

There is hope: Yesterday, only 27 days from Ironman, I managed a 100 mile bike ride just below race pace.  I felt fine afterward.  This morning, I went for a ten mile trail run.  I am a little stiff around my knees, but feel no other fatigue.  Tomorrow I'll swim, but not far.  My shoulders are still sore from last week's CrossFit class.  The good news?  My motivation is high.  I am energized by the intensity of CrossFit, and I've already seen it carry over into my mile times in the run.

So I'm messing with last year's winning recipe.  Okay, not winning recipe, but a GOOD one.  This year, I'm trying something different.  We'll see . . . maybe it will be a delicious surprise.