Local season is winding down...

You need a little trixie pace booty. 

Let's go run the poto. 

I'm up for that...but seriously, I have done nothing for 3 weeks.

2 weeks ago I ran twice. One 3.6 miler LT and one 6 miler tempo. I did the same thing the following week and then this past week I didn't run...not even once. Not good.

I have been road racing a bit and have had a little success with that. I figured, I have to ride anyway and that's mostly what I've been doing so I might as well go to a race and try to win some cash.

So now what? Why am I like this?

That's a great suggestion.

However, to the contrary. I usually like to train solo for running and swimming. I like to occasionally run with someone, but usually I just want to set out on my own. Riding seems to be the only sport I want to do in a group. From a social perspective, I enjoy the company. From a training perspective, I gain a significant amount of fitness from riding in a group...with all men.

Ugh... I think I might just be in a funk.

What does one do to get out of their funk?

What makes YOU want to get out the door again? Everyone has low points, but man...my seems to be for a prolonged period of time which is highly unusual for me.

I do tri training for fun. When it's not fun anymore I  usually just pick up one of my other hobbies for a while.

That's a really good point. The thing is, that when I do finally make it out the door, I am happy I did.

That and, I have to stay fit for triathlon through the beginning of December. Laguna Phuket is in December.

Are you related to Tom Demerly?

He seems to know a bit about all this triathlon stuff.

Step 1: Have children

Step 2: Wait a few years until they're old enough for school (Note that this involves very little actual "waiting".)

Step 3: Get a job working from home

Step 4: Go insane in August because there are no camps to send the kids to, so you spend most of your day time hours managing them and the early morning and nights working. Training is but a memory.

Step 5: In early Sept, put them on the School Bus!!

Step 6: Train! Bask in the freedom from fights over crayons! Glory in the sudden ability to go to the Y and swim in the lap pool rather than get swatted in the face with a noodle in the family pool! Rejoice in the absence of guilt because your kids are reciting every line from memory while watching the SpongeBob Squarepants All Day Marathon!

Or, if this seems a bit more forward thinking than you'd like, there are alternatives.

Sometimes I just say "Screw lack of motivation, I'm going to run anyway." And I do.

Then again, sometimes it comes down to realizing that I'm in this for fitness and fun. If I have a period where I'm not training for a particular race and I'd rather ride than run, I ride. Running will still be there when I feel like it.

It's been a long season. You've worked hard. Maybe it's time for a break from a training plan. Take a few weeks to train however you feel like training. If it's on the bike, then great. Revel in it. Ride for the sheer joy of riding.

You'll want to get back to it soon enough. For now, maybe it's time to relax and just have a little fun with it.

Edit: just read about the Laguna Phuket plans. Still, maybe you do need a week or two off mentally. Then you need to get off your xxx and train.

Um, yeah...I'm his wife.

Thanks!

As much as I like your step 1, that's not in my life plans! Although, I think there is some truth to what you say, as usually the top athletes at the race are women much older than I!

As for your other tips, motivationally and so forth, I like. I just need to snap out of it, I think. Hopefully I will. I'll keep ya posted!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I really appreciate it.

I know it seems small and far from important, but to me this has really caused me to stress out a bit. I started to wonder if I was getting sick or what. But I feel fine. I think I even convinced myself that I may be getting sick and used that as an excuse not to run....pathetic I know. LOL

Anyway, thanks again.

That's some funny stuff, Sarah.   It's a Michigan thing, tho...our tri season is so compressed that it's hard to maintain the intensity from May - Sept, we feel the pressure to have everything be an A-race, whether we want it to be or not.

Advice, from the bleachers, now that you mentioned it, let your body and brain take you out of the funk.

We'll drag you out to the Poto, Hines, Stony, ILRA, or wherever if you'd like in the meantime...fun training, and good peeps. One day you'll wake up, knowing it's the day, and the funk's gone. Then you'll go. Don't push it, if you can help it. It'll come.  Every year I get the doldrums in the late fall, knowing the snow's about to pile up outside and can't move. I try to prolong the misery by doing a few fall marathons, and taking a quick break over Chrismas. Then I go.

Just know that you can't go year-round, and take a break sometime. Then, get back into it with a vengeance. At a time you can sustain it to your A-Race.

You could just move down to this part of the world for the next 6 months... things are just starting to kick up Down Under (yeah I know this doesnt really help!)

Otherwise what everyone else has said - you probably need a bit of down time and the motivation will come flooding back!

I'm in a funk, also.  Buy new shoes or a helmet.

This is truly funny as my ex-boyfriend was a golfer.

I agree...that would definitely help my type A personality as I was never able to sit still and quiet long enough during his matches. I always ended up leaving early to workout!

Maybe I'll try watching some golf and that will get my booty out the door!