Subtle Hints

I like to think of myself as horribly brilliant. However, I have serious challenges when it comes to catching hints, at times. For example, if you happen to be related to me and want to provide a hint about a birthday or Christmas present, a good approach is to send me a note, call me to remind me about the note, and then send an e-mail to confirm the discussion. At that point, I'll probably remember that I should by you something for Christmas. I'll have no idea what to buy, but I'll get something.

I can be the same way about myself, as well. As I approached high school graduation, I had been doing everything possible to go to college. This despite all the signs that perhaps another path might be more appropriate. God gave me a hard head for a reason. It's a gift. A gift I use regularly. So, God had to resort to some fairly straightforward signs about what I should do with my life. Little things like a broken jaw and a complete lack of money did a good job of redirecting my energies. It took time, but I finally heard what was being said, and now find myself where I should be.

Yet I still find myself prone to missing subtle hints about a variety of things. My plans for last night were to have dinner, get the kids to bed, and do a couple hours on the trainer. Sure, I was tired, but training takes precedence. After all, with Friday being a rest day, I would get to sleep in (all the way until 6 a.m.).

My body apparently had other plans. B-Boy got to stay up a bit late while I got Monster Girl to sleep. After reading a chapter in our book, brushing teeth, and ensuring the required horseplay was completed (last night was a "foot ride" which entails him cruising around the house sitting on my foot), it was off to bed. I laid down to listen to B-Boy's prayers. And woke up two-and-a-half hours later.

At that point, I called the bike workout a bad idea, and crawled into bed. Let's face it, if you pass out on the floor for over two hours, you are either very tired or fairly drunk. It seems my body was trying to tell me something, and I wasn't listening.

Training is important. But we must remember that rest is a part of training and is just as vital as workouts and nutrition. In running, we use a rule of one minute for every mile of training. That means if you are training 30 miles/week, you should be getting 30 minutes of extra rest each night. The same rules apply to triathlon. As training time increases, your daily rest must also increase.

While sometimes challenging, ensure you are giving yourself sufficient opportunity to rest and recover from your training. Injury, illness, and burnout become increasingly likely as we become fatigued. So, as you progress in training, remember to give proper attention to your sleep.