control freak-out

I have decided to "out" myself. I have a secret to share with you. Shh! don't tell anybody else, but I am a bit of a control freak.

I justify my budgets, schedules, and routines as a way for me to create order in my chaotic life. Ask me about any day, I can tell you who has what activity, if there are any appointments, and what we are having for dinner (perhaps lunch too). I'll admit that I really like knowing what is going to happen next. I can plan for it, change the schedule, arrange care or transportation if need be weeks in advance. If I am invited to a social event and the invitation is extended casually or ambiguously, it drives me crazy. If the schedule is changed at the last minute, it will throw off the entire day. I am really not a "go with the flow" kind of gal.

Guess what? I love training plans. Shocking isn't it? Give me a plan and I will follow it religiously. The more detailed the plan, the better. Swim sets with prescribed rest intervals. Fantastic! Runs with fartleks assigned. Tell me when and I will do them. Timed rides with set sprints are my idea of heaven. This is why I hate off-season.

I finished my last triathlon of the season a few weekends ago. My 2008 training plan was followed through to its completion. Now, I am uncomfortably sitting in a place where my first race of 2009 (2009's races are already planned of course) is not until the beginning of June. My training plan for the race will not start until end of February which leaves me 5 months of being sans a training plan.

I think that I may be getting hives.

I have attempted to get relief by making my own training plans (homeopathic medicine, if it were), but the details are not there. I have assigned days to bike, swim, and run. I have determined general types of workouts that need to be done -- time trial training, long sustained rides, sprint swim sets, continuous swims, etc. However, the details are not written out. The pages in the training calendar for next week are blank.

Where is that calamine lotion?

Although it seems absurd for a control freak to admit this --

I NEED SOMEONE OR SOMETHING TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!!

I have been combing the Internet looking for detailed plans that match my prescribed type of swim/bike/run workout. I have checked out triathlon books to look at their off-season plans. (Many of the books I found do not have very specific off season plans.) I have discussed the possibility of a coach with Mr. Spie, but alas it is not in the budget -- children are expensive.

Are these spots growing larger?

I have some tentative solutions to my ir-rash-tional dilemma. I will sign up for swim lessons in October and am planning on purchasing some bike training DVDs, but these salves do not provide full relief for what ails me. In order to find relief, one of two things need to happen.

1. I need to give up some control and be able to go with the flow. (This is not very likely)

or

2. I need to find and start following a plan.

Because I have not yet been able to find the correct prescription for what ails me, you may want to purchase some stock in Benadryl. It looks like it is going to be a long five months of me itchin' for my training plan to start.