Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Learning to Rest...
Boohiss. I hate rest. I hate not being able to do what I love. But, my body doesn't always care how my mind feels. I try to bribe it. I try to tell it I'll be good to it, but it knows better. My body is one smart cookie. Sometimes I need a lesson. I need to know that I am not capable of everything, that I am vulnerable, and human! So lets see... it all started after the Kaiser half marathon at the beginning of the month. Well, it probably started before that as I was doing lots of hard, long runs back to back. I felt good, so I just did what I tend to do, I went a bit crazy. A fast 18 mile, a track workout, running up Diablo, etc, etc. I noticed my left calf was one huge knot and instead of doing my typical yoga, swimming, and so forth, I decided the solution was run more, and more, and more. If this is you, STOP! Running does not make your calf more flexible as much as us runners like to think. Anyway so the week after the Kaiser half I am running a track workout and I notice a weird twinge on the outside of my left foot. But it goes away and the next morning I do a mellow 12 miler. Then Friday I wake-up going what the fuck! But my solution, run. Oh, but then I do stop as something was not right. I take Saturday off, no pain, so I try to run, nope pain is back. So I have stuck to swimming for the past 9 days. I have peroneal tendonitis. My recommendation for all of you, don't get it, it stinks! Anyhow I am trying to have a good attitude. I didn't take those 2 weeks I promised my body after North Face 50 miler, so I figure my body needs this rest so I can perform well again this year. Sometimes we learn the hard way. I trust my body will heal up when it's ready. Plus, it is giving me some more time to reevaluate this year. I most likely will be pulling out of Way too Cool 50k and build my training back up slowly. My main goals for this year: listen to my body, try for the mountain running team, qualify for olympic marathon trials, and of course, have fun!
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5 comments:
Ugh, I've been dealing with the exact same thing for awhile now, and on the left side, too. Not bad enough to keep me from running, usually, but I think that's because of all the ART I get for it. It's more annoying than painful, and it only bothers me when I'm sitting still. Effing weird, and tough to shake!
I hear you. When you're feeling good, it's so hard to hold back on mileage or effort, but that's when smart training comes in. I read on Gordo Byrn's blog that to run well, you should run every day. The caveat to that is that you have to run within your body's ability to adapt and recover, so that you can continue and maintain consistency.
Anyway, I had a brief bout with peroneal tendonitis, but it went away with prompt icing. Now if that would only abolish my PF! I foolishly increased mileage and didn't ice until it really meant business- now 6 months later I'm still icing my foot every night.
So you're doing the smart thing, and you'll spring back faster than ever I have no doubt.
Cynthia
All good. Better to heal now than when the season heats up.
After the "listen to my body" post, the last sentence contained a zinger though! "Mountain Running Team" and "Marathon Trials": these are very worthy goals, and you can achieve them, but probably not in the same year. :-) Specificity.
Mark your calendar for next Jan:
Houston To Host 2012 Olympic Team Trials For Men’s And Women’s Marathon
Fast-rising Houston Marathon steals events away from New York and Boston
The Houston Marathon is certainly an event on the rise. In recent years this event and its concurrent half marathon have attracted some of the biggest names in running and witnessed breakthrough performances, including Shalane Flanagan’s half marathon debut and Brett Gotcher’s breakthrough 2:10:35 marathon this year. Now it has earned the right to host the 2012 Olympic Team Trials Men’s and Women’s Marathons, which will be held the day before the 40th Houston Marathon next January.
Ahead of the 2008 Olympics, the all-mighty New York City Marathon hosted the men’s trials and the venerable Boston Marathon hosted the women’s trials. The smart money might have been on these same events to easily win the right to stage the 2012 trials, or swap them with each other, but in the end it was the upstart (if a 40-year-old event can be an upstart) Houston Marathon that prevailed. We have no skin in the game, but we are excited to see the selections for both genders take place on the same day.
wow i needed to hear this! i know it was a while back as i go back through some of your entries and it looks like you're back at it but i definitely needed this perspective on a silly stupid frustrating annoying injury that comes from not resting as i had promised myself. tsk tsk tsk. good luck with your running!
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