Training during/after a breakup?...

I tend to sign up for Ironmans...

Provided this is not a hypothetical, I've got my 2012 Ironman events covered. And with that being said, a break from now until then would not fit into my training program. LOL!!

Amen. The best time to train is when you are single. 

In my experience nothing puts more strain on a relationship than a Tri addiction. When I was training for my first IM my wife told everyone she was a 'Tri widow'. 

I say keep rolling.  Granted, I've been married awhile so I don't have to worry about it....but I've been working out in some capacity for nearly 40 years...and have watched friends waste away to damn near nothing as they get over their lost relationships.  That never happened to me.  When my relationships ended, they ended....you still have to eat, and sleep, and exercise.  Another relationship is coming.....if that's what you want...it's the nature of life. 

For the most part, and in my experience, when a relationship is to the point where one party cashes in....it's over.  You might as well move on.  If you don't, you may miss the ONE.  You don't want to miss that, it's pretty cool.

I tend to train like a mad man - but still have the loss of appetite.  Pounds would drop fast.

First, it made me feel better.  Plus being back on the market, need to be looking my best!  I always felt better being active and doing something than moping around the house.

I think after a breakup once, I just went out and ran and ran and ran.  Probably about 9 miles or so.  At THAT time, it was a rediculous distance, since I probably never ran over 5k at one time.  I just ran myself into the ground.

Sometimes I even joke that the final piece of motivation to lose those last 15 lbs?  If my wife decided to leave me.  Not that I really joke about that.  She is amazing and I would rather be fat with her, than svelt without her. 

ha ha. Yep.

I broke up with someone after running a marathon. Someone I'd been training with for a couple years before we even started dating, and was part of a friendly training group. She had a bad race and decided to distance herself from me and every one of the people we ran with. At one point she told me she couldn't date anyone faster than she was.

I wouldn't say there was any sense of self pity, more confusion over the whole thing than anything else. I thought the relationships was going well. I was kind of sad to lose her, but I know I hadn't done anything wrong. I learned long ago you can't fix anyone else or make someone happy that chooses to be unhappy.

3 weeks later I did my first tri. Wound up doing 3 1/2 marathons, 3 tri's, 4 duathlons last year... Yes, I needed an outlet. Only problem is, I'm still into it. Love training and racing. Lotta cute chicks in spandex, just need to find me one

I had a solid month of consistent training after a very unexpected breakup. Then one day, as I was running along, almost done with my run, I thought "this is hard. this hurts." and I suddenly started sobbing on the side of the road. I think I was in shock/numb for that month which allowed me to keep moving. After the sobbing, I found it very hard to lace up again. I was afraid I'd find myself crying on the side of the road again.

A friend of mind recently said she thinks heartbreak is one of the worst kinds of pain. I've been heartbroken more times than I care to think about; it never gets easy. I don't stop loving just because it's over; I can't shut off my emotions like a faucet. So, I just let it out. Man, sometimes there's just so much that wants out and out and out. I've gotten more patient with myself about letting myself feel whatever I'm going to feel. Whatayagonna do? Lace up when you're ready. Life goes on, with or without the pain. Our emotions are temporary, even the ones that hit us to the core.

***

On a side note: Wired recently ran an article about a new memory erasing drug. I thought it would be nice not to have those memories from 4 and 3 years ago; the experience had knocked the wind out of me. I felt kicked in the gut.  But I am a better, more content Renee in so many ways, having gone through the thresher. We don't get to decide who loves us or not. We only get to decide whether we will yield to love, or not. As difficult and painful as that period was, it gratifies me to know how courageous I was in standing still with it. That I didn't run away. I wouldn't have known I had that in me, if I hadn't experience the pain and sorrow. I feel stronger and more willing to be vulnerable because of it.

Khalil Gibran

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.

Ooh like the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind... I was and still am fascinated by that idea.

I guess breakups seem to not affect my training one way or the other ... the same way the relationships didn't.

My favorite quote is: Adversity does not build character, adversity reveals character.

Your emotions prove you are not a sociopath: cold, calculated, and devoid of empathy; rather that you're a decent and caring human being. Being able to show emotion means you're strong, not weak. Took me a long, long time to understand this.

It hasn't for a VERY long time...  Married 21 years and dated 9 years before that.

I will say that my 9th/10th grade girlfriend broke up with my like an hour before a 2 mile cross country race my Sophomore year.  I ran a terrible race.

I havent been through a break up in a while but from what I remember, I would break it down into phases. 1st phase was upset, didnt want to do anything, why me, what happened? while sitting on the couch while eating bad foods phase.- No training during this phase

2nd phase- go out all hours of the night with my buddies to try and find new girls who I didnt really care about to help fill the void of losing the one I did care about. There seemed to be a higher emphasis on cardio training during this phase

3rd phase- Realize that life is too short to sob over a girl, get back to the gym and get yourself into good physical shape, re-prioritize your life and go on about your business until you find Mrs. Right.-regular training in this phase

I havent had a break up since finding triathlon but if I did happen to break up now, I would also probably sign up for an IM, and hopefully do a little bit of phase 2 lol.

Last time I was dumped, I was heading to Fantasy Fest the next day. 

4 days of serious partying.

Got back to reality, and started rock climbing more.

Let a rock climbing boy take me hashing for the first time.

I'd say it was a benefit to my overall fitness. Plus, the ex's marathon PR was fun to beat

When my 20 year marriage ended a couple years back I started running to get into shape. 

Have since completed 8 full and 10 half marathons, recently decided Triathlon would be a good pursuit and have now finished two sprints and started training for the Wildflower Oly.

Maybe a relationship would stop this madness...