June = Anxiety and Stress

If you asked me a few months ago, or even a week ago, I would tell you that I was excited for June to come. This month means that I’m under four weeks away from my dream race and all the training and work slowly becomes a reality. Sadly though, my mental state is in shambles as June slowly creeps along.

The excitement is replacement with nonstop anxiety and stress about all the work I’ve done. I wonder if I did enough or if I need to spend a little extra time on my swim. I wonder if I should taper this week, or start next. I wonder if I should eat out one night, or squeeze an extra training session in. Honestly, it’s wearing on me.

I realize I should have expected this because it’s all too often the common problem with most athletes during taper, but it still doesn’t make things easier. This is why I’m counting down the days for the World Cup to start. With soccer, I can get lost in worrying about my team winning, or the possible implications of other games. I can focus all my energy and emotion on the event I’ve been waiting for since 2006 instead of worrying about every last detail leading up to the Ironman.

Or at least that’s the idea.

Either way, I need to get rid of this anxiety somehow. Otherwise I’m destined to spend the entire month of June overtraining and living the hermit life in my new apartment (ohhh yea, did I mention the new apartment that makes my life infinitely easier and gives me more time to train).