Forgetfulness

For several weeks I have been unusually forgetful. I know am naturally inclined that way and have developed the usual countermeasures: routine and reminders. Those have worked well for years, but lately I have experienced a spike of forgetting stuff related to working out.

• Two Wednesdays in a row I forgot to pack my HRM strap for spin class. Luckily Pattie loaned me hers.
• This week I remembered my HRM strap, but forgot to pack my Garmin 800. No data.
• One morning I got to the Oahu Club only to discover I forgot my towel. Luckily I always carry a TYR chamois and could dry off after my shower with that.
• On a different morning I forgot to pack underwear. Must have been a Thursday, because I was wearing running shorts rather than a bathing suit. Had to wear those all day under my trousers. No comment.
• Last Monday I was scheduled to swim after work. Got to work after Ben Williams' tri clinic to discover I had not packed the little swim bag with my goggles and caps.

I often get stuck in traffic. Besides longing for the Good Olde Days when I rode my bike to work, I use this time to ponder things. This morning I spent the time thinking about why I had become so forgetful. Here is my conclusion. It is my mind's natural attempt to save my life.

That is what our mind does, first and foremost; ensure our survival. When we are active we become fatigued. Sure you can talk till you are blue about oxygen depletion and lactate concentration, but in the end the feeling of fatigue that slows us down is our mind trying to save our skin.

Recently I have significantly upped my workout intensity. My Training Peaks PMC shows the purple TSS/d line way above the CTL and the TSB is as low as -20. In plain English I have been working hard and I should be feeling tired, and I do. The good kind. The kind of fatigue that feels like a reward. But my mind does not know about PMCs and TSBs. All it knows is that these workouts are killing me, so if I leave something I need at home I will skip the workout.

Thanks, mind. Maybe I do need to pull back a little. If there is anything certain about all this data, it is that how hard to train is much more art than science.