5 weeks till IRONMAN - recovery or self-sabotage?

"The fastest way to change the way you feel 

is to change the way you move.  

Emotion is created by motion."

- Anthony Robbins

This quote is so true for me.  This is key for me because not only am I a very emotional person,  I am also an emotional eater - which can cause problems for my lifestyle - until I learned this truth. . . . I can change my emotion by motion . . . genius.

So the key for me when I am feeling sad or stressed, tired or cranky, is to

go for a run,
go for a swim or
go for a bike ride.

I love this picture. . . . . it is so true!

This past week I have made some interesting discoveries. . . . 

As it was a recovery week for me, I was SO looking forward to the physical break.  But what I learned is that emotionally I need exercise to help me cope with stress.  By about Thursday I was just 'not quite right', and I wasn't sure why . . . until I realized that the reason I was feeling overwhelmed, and unsure of myself was that I didn't seem to have the outlet to relieve my stress. .  . interesting.

I guess I will be glad to get back at it for the next 3 weeks, and hopefully I can find some other outlet for stress so I can be more prepared mentally for  my 2 week taper before the race.  

Another discovery is this. . . I am a classic case of "approach avoidance".  What is approach avoidance you ask?  Well, I looked it up on google and found this definition.

Approach Avoidance aka self sabotage.  

Self sabotage, Psychological Reversal and 

Approach Avoidance . . . same thing, 

why we screw up or choke at crucial moments.

Approach-avoidance conflicts are choices regarding something positive, such as going out to a party, that has a negative valence (avoidance), such as getting grounded for being at the party. These decisions and the emotional state of ambivalence cause stress.

Approach-avoidance conflicts can occur when one goal contains both positive and negative characteristics. For example, an individual may be nervous to fly in an airplane, but if that is the only means of transportation to visit family, the individual experiences an approach-avoidance conflict. The more motivated the individual is to achieve a goal, the greater the likelihood to approach the goal. If there are competing feelings to a goal, the stronger of the two will triumph. Individuals may experience greater motivation to achieve a positive goal as the individual gets closer to the goal (e.g., excitement in packing a suitcase for the trip). In contrast, individuals may also experience decreased motivation to reach a negative goal as the individual gets closer to that goal (e.g., anxiety at the airport terminal). As the negative goal becomes nearer, the desire to avoid a negative goal is theorized to be much stronger than the desire to achieve a positive goal. ^[1]

AHA moment for me - so I never really understood this concept until this week. . . . I found this past week that I seem to be on the verge of sabotaging myself and I couldn't figure out why?!?!  Duane figures I have the recipe for a perfect storm brewing.  Been working hard for weeks on end, getting close to the end, getting tired, getting nervous, getting REAL!  Not sure if I am ready for this - but there is no turning back now. . . so in order to stay in control, I begin to self - sabotage - wow - when I put it down in words, it makes me feel kind of messed up?!

Well, I am kind of glad this 'recovery week' is over so I can get back to being physically exhausted instead of mentally exhausted!  It's easier.