Choosing Not to Train

Yesterday afternoon, after finishing up my daily IISD-related work, I pumped the tires, scanned the New Zealand Met Services website for incoming rain showers (none) and dressed for a ride. Heart monitor, base layer, bib shorts, jersey, thermal vest, arm and leg warmers, water bottle, GPS charged and crash ID (in case of accident.) I was thinking of doing about two hours on the road, out to Johnsonville and then down to Makara and up the hills heading toward home.

However, when I stepped out the door and felt the cold chill and swirling winds, I stood for almost three minutes with my bike, pondering the decision to ride or not. It just didn't feel right.

I'd ridden the day before and, while it was good to sweep away the cobwebs and stress my body again after four days off, I still felt exhausted and weary from the six long days of riding 100 km + per day the week before. The climbs on Sunday hadn't felt fun but were a real grind, certainly not what I had expected after getting back on the lightweight racing bike without panniers. When I got back to the house that day and later struggled to get up off the couch to help prepare for the party, Pam asked me if I was OK. Well, no, I wasn't really. I was tired from my ride but really not fully recovered.

There is a fine line between discipline and compulsion when it comes to training. It is easy to set aside good common sense and fail to listen to one's body when preparing for a big event. However, when that big event is over, that same level of compulsion to prepare and prepare is difficult to set aside. I realized that if there was no joy in riding that day, it would be silly to get back on the bike. My chance of accident or injury was higher on a day when my mind would not be in the ride. So, I turned around before I'd even started, put the bike away and poured a glass of a New Zealand fine Sauvignon Blanc and cooked up a late lunch.

Listening to the voice of your inner cyclist is difficult sometimes. Yesterday it reminded me that I was not preparing for any big event, that I could take it easy for a few more days and that getting out and riding when it was not fun was not the reason that I ride. I'm taking off today as well. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day for a ride.