Hiccups, Miles and Obstacles

Hiccups.  Obstacles.  Pains.  Setbacks.

These are all words triathletes loath.  In a perfect world there would be no pain, our footsteps soft on a grassy path.  Our weather would be 75 degrees, a tailwind on every bike ride, and no direct sun in our faces.

Alas, the world isn’t perfect for triathletes.

Ergo, we find ourselves training in imperfection, adjusting and adapting for race day, ignoring ails and pushing past the tweaks and pulls.  Some may say that character is built from such endeavors.  I tend to not be so fatalistic and believe that these things are just reality.  Training and racing in reality is more honest than believing your race season will be perfect.

My most recent hiccup comes in the form of a tooth.  Yes, a tooth.  This week’s training has been suspended due to my dysfunctional mouth. 

On Monday I woke up with some strange pain in my gum and it was oddly swollen.  I am not one to be a to be a martyr to pain, so I decided to go see my dentist.  She stated that I had an infection (really?) and put me on some antibiotics.  I don’t normally take antibiotics.  When I do, the digestive response I have is, well, revolutionary.  My gut bacteria don’t like to be killed and when they are, they let me know.

I can train through a lot.  If I have the flu, a cold, fatigue, soreness, etc., I will find my way outside and just cut down on the speed and effort a little.  Often I feel that training while sick helps me.  However, I will not (and cannot) train with digestive issues.  That just stops me.  As luck would have it my tooth, which led to my antibiotics, led me to not training with such a gastrointestinal reaction.

Is it a setback?  No.  I was already starting to feel out the long miles.  I was already starting to bury myself in the grind.    It is still early.  I am still finding my way.