It's Sunday, and instead of being at home eating pancakes, bacon and eggs, I'm at the gym...slogging through a cardio session on the backend of a 14+ hour fast*. Why? Well, frankly I'm overweight. I'm not overweight from a health standpoint, but from a vanity one. We are about 34 days out from our wedding and my waist is about 2 inches larger than I'd prefer. Not to mention we leave for Kona in 4 days and I'd like to feel better about myself in the land of ripped bods.
*While I do not condone this behavior as a lifestyle, using these measures short term can help you achieve results. I've ticked all the boxes to ensure I stay healthy, strong and maintain lean mass. What are those boxes? That's a blog for another day.
To help with the boredom in the 7th level of hell, I'm scanning Facebook, and seeing pictures of everyone already in Kona. Some are there to support, some are there to watch and some are there to race.
What I'm noticing from the pictures of the ones racing is that everyone looks REALLY lean, like too lean. There's already been one pro announce they will not start due to stress fractures. I'd bet you $1 we could tie the injury to under fueling. There's also another pro, an American hope, that looks smaller than I've ever seen them. I'd bet you another dollar they will not have the day they are hoping for due to being underweight.
Here's the thing, if you are not toeing the line on Sunday about 10 lbs. heavier than your normal training weight, you are not going to race up to your potential. Too much emphasis is put on racing weight and it is causing carnage through the endurance world.
If you are racing this week, I implore you, EAT! You are running the risk of starting the race in a depleted state, and you will not be able to dig yourself out of that hole.
