Monday, April 13, 2009

anxious and confused and overwhelmed and unhappy...

My vehicle (which broke down twice within a week) is back in my possession, and I can tell something is still wrong with it. I have very little confidence that it won't break down again and am almost afraid to drive it.

I want this vehicle out of my life.

I've been doing some research and test driving various makes and models. Maybe it's just me, but this whole car buying process is making me anxious and confused and overwhelmed and unhappy.

I'm hoping for a fairy tale ending where I drive my vehicle to some dealer in the next few weeks, leave it with them, drive home in something new and reliable, and feel good about the whole situation.

But my reality has me driving my unreliable vehicle, hoping it doesn't break down again, while I try to make some sense out of the information that I have on the cars I'm interested in.

Meanwhile, my back is still not quite right.

I was scheduled to swim today, but i didn't feel like getting up early nor do I think that will be the best thing for my back. Instead, I managed to rau two miles on the treadmill. It was okay - not great.

Dash-Splash-Push is on Sunday. I had really been looking forward to it, but now I'm feeling fairly indifferent about it. Run for the Zoo is about three weeks out. I was hoping to PR, but instead I'm horribly under trained. Bleh.

This whole runing and multi-sport thing started out as something fun that made me happy and kept me healthy. But lately, it's just another aspect of my life that leaves me feeling anxious and confused and overwhelmed and unhappy.

Talked to Coach today and he thinks I need a break.

He might be right. Need to do some soul searching...

40 comments:

  1. Buying a car is really the worst process imaginable. I totally feel for you.

    Hope your break is healthy and positive! A little break might make things feel fun again.

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  2. Good luck with the car search and back. Both will work out all in due time. Taking your time to find the RIGHT car and rest your back = happy, content and relaxed.

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  3. I hate when I get anxious and overwhelmed. I bet your Coach is right. You probably have too much on your plate right now. It's easy to get burned-out when there is too much going on.

    I hope you figure out your car stuff! I hate shopping for cars and hate even more making monthly payments on them.

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  4. Hey girl. There's nothing wrong with walking the dogs instead of running. Or if you don't have dogs, going for a walk to clear your head and not worrying about the "working out" aspect of it.

    We are all susceptible to stress and overwhelm. You are not alone. Make sure that you are at the top of your priority list! If that means taking a break then heck YA!

    All the best in handling this. I hope the car issue gets resolved very quickly!

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  5. I'm sorry girlie!!! Things always getter better! Just ride though this time and you will be good to go!!! Be well and SMILE!!!!

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  6. don't you wish everywhere you needed to go was within walking distance? cars can be a pain...

    and nothing like a good break to make your fall back in love with running again...good luck on the soul searching...

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  7. car troubles always throw me for a loop. seriously that kind of stuff can totally effect your attitude about working out.

    there is no reason you can't take a few days off!! maybe the race this weekend will be just what you need to get back in love with your workouts

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  8. That is all hard stuff :( We had a similar expereince not long ago with needing a new car NOW. I made a list of what we wanted in a car (age, price, features) and bought the first one that 'ticked all the boxes' - much to my husband's horror, but I didn't want to spend weeks looking for the 'perfect' vehicle! Every one will have pros and cons. You just need this off your plate. BTW I think your coach might be right. It's meant to be fun ((hugs))

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  9. Oh man Lisa that all really sucks!! I feel your pain..maybe I sound like a broken record on this but A.R.T. is the only thing that cured my back last year. Dr. Scott Walker (chiro-different than regular chiro stuff-google ART) on Alameda. I swear by him..don't give up!

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  10. Gah - too much going on between your car & your back!

    Definitely take a breather, girl.

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  11. OH the frustrations with vehicles. And, they always seem to give you problems when you are not so much preprared. I am just hoping my car will last me another year and then I can trade it off. I am sick of putting in $200 there, $300 there... blech.

    I hope the rest of your work goes wonderfully smooth!

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  12. so sorry about everything going on... it sucks to be overwhelmed, it's so draining. I'm confident it'll all workout, but a break might not be a bad idea. hang in there.

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  13. Hey Lisa,
    My daughter did that exact thing in December. She was fed up with her Acura and knew it was no longer reliable. She drove into a Honda dealership, wheeled and dealed for quite a few hours. Left her Acura and drove away with a new Honda. It CAN be done.
    Keep your chin up. Take a deep breath. Everything will come together and you will be alright. ;)

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  14. Car trouble and computer trouble have the unique ability to make me homicidal-level crazy. I am so sorry you are going through all this.

    My opinion: I agree with LBTEPA, pick a model you like, pick a reliable dealer, and just buy the dang thing.

    RE: training. You know i ma in 100% agreement that this is supposed to be fun. IM training has shown me that I am VERY capable of hating this, and I needed to find a way to have fun at it again or bag it. Life is too short. We ain't getting paid to do this. It does not feed our family, so it needs to be a hobby and bring you happiness. Possibly a change in how you look at these events or a break will help you find the fun again.

    I know! I need to come to New Mexico, or you to Cali, and we need to do a race together!

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  15. The car-buying process is 'supposed' to make you anxious, confused, overwhelmed and unhappy... but the training is not.

    I hope you find some answers in your soul searching and figure out what is right for you... right now.

    Good luck!

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  16. Good luck with the car shopping - hopefully if one block in you life gets back into it's 'happy place' everything else will fall in place. :) Keep your chin up!!

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  17. Car drama is the worst. Good luck getting it all sorted out.

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  18. Unreliable cars can be very stressful. I remember calling AAA something like 3 times in a month for various reasons. Not fun, although I felt like we'd finally got our money's worth from them that year.

    Hope your back continues to improve. No sense in aggravating it, IMO.

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  19. (((HUGS))) Lisa I totally, totally, totally agree with Marlene (ie: the car) and RBR (ie: training) Maybe you need to take a break for a bit? Training and racing IS supposed to be fun, who wants another job (and one that you're not getting paid for) right?

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  20. Good luck with the car thing. Mine stopped running two months ago, just stopped.

    Also, I recently went through some training downs- I'm still trying to work my way out, but I'm getting there. Your body and mind are probably telling you that something else needs attention- maybe you? Good luck deciding what's best for you.

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  21. We're all allowed to take breaks when we need them. Sometimes we just need time to deal with other stuff going on in our lives. Take the time off if you need it!

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  22. Ugh. Good luck with the car. That whole process just stinks.

    I'm all for the break. Sometimes you just need to do something completely different. You get worn out and need to shake it up!

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  23. Having a break is sometimes a good thing. Don't look at it as a bad thing, I've definitely "overtrained" over the years and needed to pull back. Maybe try something new like, green smoothies, yoga, or swimming. Good coach advice I might add.

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  24. I'm a big believer in taking some time to recharge when signs are pointing that way. Don't fight it. Rest, relax...and then relace and get back at it. You'll know when.

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  25. It does sounds like you're overwhelmed, injured, etc. Definitely break time. Sorry this is slowing you down, I know it gets frustrating. Hope you can recharge and find that new reliable car, too!

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  26. Buying a new car always sucks. With that said, it is definitely a buyers market out there. Use it to your advantage.

    I'm sorry that your back is keeping you from having fun. I hope it shapes up soon so you can get back at it! Sending healing vibes your way!!

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  27. I tend to agree with your coach. They are all signs and symptoms of overtraining and my coach always warned me to take it easy with training when I have other outside stresses in life (such as buying a new car - sorry to hear, Lisa, that this makes you so anxious).

    Get your car sorted. Then worry about your races again. Don't try and do it all at once.

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  28. You get an arguement out of me. When my kids were born, triathlon became too much for me to handle. That's why I opted for running only, because it took a lot of the pressure off and left me a lot more available time for everything else going on. I find that simple things make me a lot more happy these days.

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  29. Oh, Dearie. Curl up with a good (non-vehicle or tri-related!) book and some chocolate and call me in the morning.

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  30. Take care of yourself- everything will fall into place.

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  31. Good luck with the car thing!

    {{{HUGS}}} for the rest. Hang in there.

    MCM Mama

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  32. Maybe once the car thing is out of the way your body can better handle healing so you can get out and enjoy things. Remember to breathe.

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  33. hang in there!!! hope the back feels better SOON and hope you get the car situation figured out too... not fun :(

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  34. Sounds like a mojo thing... hope you search your soul and find something good. Life's too short to get stressed with multi sport - the best times you seem to have had are when you've gone with the "going to have fun and enjoy myself mantra" if that's not working then time for a pause and recharge.

    On the car front.... BLEAH! I hate paying out for cars, repairs, tests, anything ... BLEAH!

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  35. Hey!
    Soul searching is some good stuff providing you have a good teddy bear and a gallon of peanut butter chocolate icecream!
    Re: Your comment about not being okay...

    Hang tough. Keep smiling. Search for the things that make you happy and stick to those!

    I know--easier said than done!

    (((HUGS)))

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  36. Sounds like you have way too much going on in your life right now, go dicker out a deal on a new car, that will make you feel a whole lot better.

    Maybe take a little break, right now, I'm going through the same thing and truly, it is not forever, just for now...

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  37. car shopping sucks. good luck in that.

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  38. I feel the same way you do about buying a car. While I would love to trade mine in now while prices and interest rates are low, I make such a process out of it that by the time I decided, everything would be out of reach. As for your fitness goals and needing a break. Maybe what you need a break from is competition. You still want to be fit and healthy, meaning you still want to exercise, but maybe the stress of everyday life and trying to fit in workouts to meet your goals is too much right now. Maybe a scaled back approach would work best for a while. I have 2 goal races this year and nothing else--not speed, not time, just do--and once I approached those goals with that in mind, the pressure came off.

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  39. I'm sorry. I've realized that I really don't care that much what car I drive but I don't like the buying process. That has been made easier for us since we have a friend who is a manager at Toyota now. Let me know if you want to drive out to CA and get a Toyota!

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  40. I can relate on all your issues. Just had my car repaird yesterday and dang it, it made me want a new one. But it's all so overwhelming.

    Sounds like you are a little burnt out on the multi-sport thing. Can't blame you there. I felt so much burn out training for this marathon thinking it isn't worth it. But in the end, it is worth it. As long as it involves being injury free... something I'm NOT experiencing! boo :*(

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