Defining frustration

Athletic endeavors are framed by goals.  Goal races or events, goal times, goal distances, even goal weight loss and so on.  Your mind sets these targets and then you ask your body to go with the flow when you execute the plan to accomplish those goals.   When you accomplish something you set out to do, there is no greater feeling.

This process gets interrupted when the body can't or won't do what you're wanting it to do.   And because your body doesn't have any real way of communicating outside of a pain response, you're sort of left with this internal guessing game.  You know what's hurting but not why.   The usual way athletes approach a pain response is to rest or ice or start taking an anti-inflammatory, or some combination of that, until you can no longer tolerate the break in training and then you go see a doctor.

Regardless of the treatment or the prognosis, dealing with a body in pain is frustrating.  Let's get with the program, body!    The frustration mounts because you know with every missed workout, you are not doing what you need to do to hit your goals.  You want to do it, you have the drive to do it, but you can't.  And when you aren't hitting your goals, you start doubting the desire to hit your goals.  What's the point?  It's hard to see the target when you keep running into a forest of obstacles.

I'm at that stage now.  Debating what I want to do since I will likely have to forego all my goals I set for this year.  What's the point?  Where am I going?   Having been down this road many times, I know there will be a point where I can get back on a training plan.  For my sake, let it be sooner rather than later!  (And yes, I had to miss my triathlon this weekend.)