Ultrawoman's Blog: Stress..turning negatives into positives.

So yesterday is officially over, was a long day as I ate myself up over little things that ultimately affected my emotional state which triggered off a low self esteem which in turn affected my training!

Stress is impossible to avoid. But it can be managed.

there is always light at the end of the tunnel!

Stress....we all have it we all have to deal with it, athletes are no different, while every now and again a good run will alleviate my stress it can also be a negative force.

The race I love most Ultraman Hawaii World Championships is closing in 113 days left and yesterday was a melt down day

POSITIVE I have time to fix and turn this stress into something I can work with!

Chilling out and smiling all help!

Stress it sneaks up on us in all forms shapes and sizes, with the economy so lousy every one is feeling a little stress in daily lives, mine seem so small in the big picture of things!

How do I train for Ultraman with out getting injured or burn t out?

Then there is all the stress in the planning of airfares, accommodation, etc etc etc ...

Hoping I can afford the costs this is putting all my eggs into one basket this is the race I love and want to do in 2012...my 15th may be but I really want to be well prepared.

Then there are the calories I have to eat to keep my body healthy and functioning with the increased training load...that is a personal demon I have to figure out in my own screwed up vision!

There is also the added stress of I do not drive so it is so difficult sometimes to get to races I would like to do and training runs I would like to participate in,

add that to daily life and family etc yup I get stressed out! which seems so small in the BIG scheme of things in the World but they affect my little bubble!

Managing everyday stress.

Since there is no way to really get rid of the stress, the best way to combat it is to cut down on stress in other areas! I see training as therapy, but only do a limited training session so I do not burn out or injure myself, a little training 30 mins to an hour a day makes me feel jack a dandy, reduces overall stress. I know I am under stress as I am waking up tired and sometimes in the middle of the night and my eating is a whole other issue!. So I am trying to eat a wholesome healthy diet, keeping a food diary and getting some quality sleep even if it means napping 45 minutes during the afternoon.

Sometimes I go out for a nice training ride and I get stressed over little things which really I should just let go off but they wynd me up! Like a car getting so close to be I almost go into the curb, then there are the road rage drivers which have no regard for people out running or cycling I sometimes wonder if they would be so rude if it was their family member riding or running, but the daily little hassles sometimes can add up if allowed to!

I really am very very lucky to live in Southern California, I miss Puerto Rico but here in So Cal I have excellent training on my door step, there is no need for me really to have to travel 30 miles away to train! If I cannot get to an event it is not big deal as I can go and have an excellent day locally...trails to explore new mountains to climb! It is all good, I get to swim 3 times a week I know it is a pool but I have an excellent group to train with I am not the fastest but at least I can get swimming in!

So in conclusion, I have addressed my stress, and going to work on the areas that need improvement in my life in general and try to be more organized if that is at all possible!