The season... is over

It's funny.  It is early September, and there is still a lot of good weather left.  But I am done racing this year, and I think my body knows it.  And maybe there was a message in the fortune cookie that I got last night at dinner:

Over the last week, I've transitioned to off-season mode.  Several years ago, I stopped lifting for a variety of reasons.  While my last race was my fastest, and I felt strong throughout, I also noticed that my leg strength has waned.  Now, maybe it's the lack of miles I have put in, but I decided to head back to the gym and restart my lifting program.  I also think my philosophy has changed a bit where I'm looking not just at triathlon shape, but also at my overall health.

The first thing I noticed was how weak I've gotten.  I'm hoping that much of it is simply related to technique, and learning how to balance weights again.  But I also felt my legs nearly cramp after doing leg presses (after doing squats) with not that much weight.  It's going to be a fun challenge to regain some strength.  The second I noticed was the titanium plate in my clavicle.  Although I have been doing push ups without any problem, bench press with a barbell caused a strange sensation in my shoulder/clavicle when I did it, kind of a stretch/pop thing.  While not painful, it wasn't exactly pleasant.  I'll have to keep an eye on that.

I hopped on the bike yesterday to do some time on the trainer.  And there was not much motivation in it.  My legs were still tight from lifting 3 days earlier, and I just didn't have much interest.  I think this is another sign that the season is over for me.  I'm going to try to get on my trainer several times this week just to keep things going, but I'm guessing they'll be more of a spin session than any harder work.  That's okay by me for now.

And as I was running this weekend, I kept thinking about one of my all-time favorite songs, "Long Time," by Boston.  The lyrics seemed to fit my recollections of how I feel during races and training:

"It's (sic) been such a long time
I think I should be goin'
And time doesn't wait for me, it keeps on rollin'
Sail on, on a distant highway
I've got to keep on chasin' a dream
I've gotta be on my way
Wish there was something I could say.

Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
And I take what I find, I don't want no more
It's just outside of your front door.

It's been such a long time. It's been such a long time."

Keep in mind that this is a mid-70's song, and one of the songs of my youth.