The Winnie the Pooh Factor

Although I am not a fan of Winnie the Pooh, I am trying to figure out whether I am more like Eeyore or Tigger. Eeyore is the pessimistic one while Tigger is the outgoing and optimistic animal. The have contrasting outlooks and at times, I feel I have a bit of both running through my dehydrated body.

If you have followed any of my past writings, it was evident that this year was full of ups and downs. I have been trying to figure out whether it was a good year (Tigger) with some bumps in the road or just a plain bad year (Eeyore) where early expectations got the best of me.

So, I am I Eeyore or Tigger?

As I look back, I think my season was full of more disappointments than successes. I found myself more frustrated with racing, rather than enjoying the fitness level I was obtaining. I think each year, we need to evaluate our season and see what went well and what went wrong. For some reason, to me, things seemed to go more wrong than right.

Lets recap:

• Big Lake Half Marathon: 3rd in age group (Tigger), but really sick after (Eeyore)
• Patriot Half Ironman: 3rd place age group, smoked the bike (Tigger), died on the run and sick after (Eeyore)
• Black Fly Triathlon: 2nd place age group (Tigger)
• Ironman Lake Placid: Tried it (Tigger), DNF (Big Eeyore)
• Froenhoeffer Olympic Tri: Back in the saddle after IMLP (Tigger), bad swim/run (Eeyore)
• Timberman 70.3: Finished (Tigger), back pain on the bike, leg issues on the run, very sick after (Eeyore)
• Circle Triathlon: 2nd overall (Tigger)
• Pumpkinman Half Iron: solid swim and bike (Tigger), awful run (Eeyore)
• Hoosic Falls 5K: PR and 3rd overall (Tigger)

It seems that many of my Tigger moments have been balanced out by Eeyore ones as well. I am struggling when I look at the positives and all I can see are the negatives. That in turn, leads me to ask myself some difficult questions.

For example: Did my improvement on the bike lead to my demise on the run? Was I pushing so hard on the bike, I had nothing left for the run? Have I been training incorrectly when it comes to diet and nutrition? Were the conditions the cause of my issues? What distance is best for me and my ability? Did I under train (lack of quality runs, missing days) or did I over train (increase in my injuries)?

These questions have really made me step back and re-evaluate my options for next year. There are some personal changes that I will need to make if I choose to continue down this triathlon path. I have begun the process of educating myself even more so that I can enjoy racing more next season.

I think I want to be more like Tigger and less like Eeyore. Or do I?

Until that time, maybe you can decide: Am I a Tigger or an Eeyore?