Hope everyone enjoyed Valentine's Day as much as we did..
Happy Training!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
My Valentine's Date..
The other half of the "two-mommy" couple who assisted me in chaperoning a first-grader Valentine's Day date did a most perfect recap on her blog. Check it out here.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
On missing running..
I am thankful for so much in this life - I have the most bad-ass 6 year old alive (biased, I know), the best family and friends in the world, a job I love, etc. And when looking at this scenario from a practical standpoint, I should be incredibly grateful.
Enter the emotional bucket - an (un)healthy mix of whining, tears, and random brain firings that don't necessarily make any sense at all. I spent 45 minutes on the phone tonight doing that the kind of sobbing that leaves your face swollen for hours. Dead sexy, I know.
Enter the emotional bucket - an (un)healthy mix of whining, tears, and random brain firings that don't necessarily make any sense at all. I spent 45 minutes on the phone tonight doing that the kind of sobbing that leaves your face swollen for hours. Dead sexy, I know.
When I walked out of the doctor's office last week, I was thankful that I would be able to run right up until my surgery. Which meant I didn't have to deal with my vice being ripped out from under me for at least a few more weeks. I could continue running, get up to 15-16 mile long runs, tempo runs, and all that other sweaty goodness that makes me deliriously happy.
The reality hasn't been rainbows and puppy dogs. That test beat the crap out of me, much more so than I expected. I had 2 failed runs towards the end of last week, which left me in tears, hobbling home with a swollen leg. I've been subjected to many hours on the trainer, as well as some swimming and elliptical workouts mixed in there for good measure.
Yes, I should be thankful I can still workout. I have the green light to stay on that bike trainer as long as I want to, so long as the leg doesn't hurt. I can get in a lot of quality cardio, as well as piles of strength training. I should be using this time to learn to embrace other forms of cardio to get my sweat on.
Yet all I see when I look at my inbox, or Facebook, or Twitter is running. Signing up for long races, war stories about long runs, successful track workouts, and race reports. Don't get me wrong - I am deliriously happy for everyone, and I am incredibly sincere when I say that. But I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard to read all of that, and then hopping on my trainer for the 600th hour this week.
Being outdoors, running on those roads when there's no one around, chatting with great friends for hours on a long run, choking down Gu at hours 2 and 3 of a 20 mile run are those moments that I savor. I'm that freak that loves, loves, loves my long runs. I miss it, and of course since I can't have it, have never wanted it more than I do right now.
In Sobfest 2012 that occurred this afternoon at the expense of my poor sister, I let out every last frustration. She listened, didn't tell me I was wrong, didn't tell me "everything's going to be okay", and just let me cry until I was completely empty. I know I have to turn a corner, and move onto the acceptance phase. I know I'll get there. I know a lot of people may think I'm being overly dramatic, or not quite understand. And that's okay too.
I'm going to continue sweating, in whatever form I can get it right now. I'm going to try to get back on the roads when my leg fully recovers from the testing last week. And when I DO get back on those roads, I promise to savor every mile I can pound the pavement until the day I go under the knife.
It's times when running is taken away from you that you learn to truly appreciate it the most. Right now, I'd take a bad track workout, or a sucktastic tempo run over watching a pack of happy runners bounce by from the inside of a sweaty gym.
Happy Training Friends..
Friday, February 3, 2012
Compartment Syndrome Diagnosis, and the Dreaded "S" Word..
What started as an annoying injury in early 2011 is going to end in surgery sometime this spring. Yes, the same spring in which I was supposed to run the Eugene Marathon, and lay down a marathon PR on the track at Hayward Field.
Compartment Syndrome was the suspect, and was confirmed when I went to see the MD on Wednesday through an Intra-compartmental Pressure (ICP) Test. This test is considered the gold standard diagnostic test for chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) in terms of accuracy and reproducible. However, it is a painful and invasive procedure, which relies on the skill of the tester. In spite of those disadvantages, pressure measurements are the only available objective test. Can you tell I've done my research?
I was told to bring on the symptoms in my leg as much as possible in the couple days leading up to the pressure test. So I managed to pile of miles, some speedwork, AND hill repeats, because why the hell not. I was also told to wear my running attire and shoes for the appointment, as there would be a little running involved. Mmmkay.
Doc comes into the room, we talk marathons, and I explain my story. He gets nearly giddy about the potential of driving many large needles into my leg, and gets to work. I get an injection of Novacaine into each the 4 different compartments in my lower leg.
Sting and burn. Sting and burn.
Then we get into the really fun stuff. Doc pulls out one of these fun little pressure meters
and starts to beat the snot out of my lower leg. One of these babies in each of the four leg compartments. Holy hell that hurt. I put a short video below of (part of) the procedure, but be warned, it's kinda nasty.
.JPG)
Compartment Syndrome was the suspect, and was confirmed when I went to see the MD on Wednesday through an Intra-compartmental Pressure (ICP) Test. This test is considered the gold standard diagnostic test for chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) in terms of accuracy and reproducible. However, it is a painful and invasive procedure, which relies on the skill of the tester. In spite of those disadvantages, pressure measurements are the only available objective test. Can you tell I've done my research?
I was told to bring on the symptoms in my leg as much as possible in the couple days leading up to the pressure test. So I managed to pile of miles, some speedwork, AND hill repeats, because why the hell not. I was also told to wear my running attire and shoes for the appointment, as there would be a little running involved. Mmmkay.
Doc comes into the room, we talk marathons, and I explain my story. He gets nearly giddy about the potential of driving many large needles into my leg, and gets to work. I get an injection of Novacaine into each the 4 different compartments in my lower leg.
Sting and burn. Sting and burn.
Then we get into the really fun stuff. Doc pulls out one of these fun little pressure meters
and starts to beat the snot out of my lower leg. One of these babies in each of the four leg compartments. Holy hell that hurt. I put a short video below of (part of) the procedure, but be warned, it's kinda nasty.
After the first pressure readings were taken (including novacaine, we're up to 8 needle sticks now), Doc tells me to go for a 20 minute run outside, and so kindly provides me with a loop. Errr.. Am I on candid camera? You want me to take my partially numb, bleeding leg, and go beat the crap out of it? There has to be a punchline, right? Apparently there wasn't. He told me to jog in place in the exam room upon my return, and to not stop moving until he was back in the room with me.
One of the many things I learned Wednesday? Running on a numb lower leg is a trippy sensation. Luckily, my foot still worked, but my leg was partially numb, and my left leg was just angry that I was out pounding out more miles. Super.
Back into the exam room, while being barked at by the nurse to continue running in place. It was the closest I've ever come to boot camp I think. Doc saunters into the room, instructs me to keep moving until he's "ready". Once he gets gloved up again, he tells me to lay on the table, and goes after those compartments again with the above torture device. Although the bonus this time is now I'm dripping sweat all over an already gross exam table and my HR is about 354. Try not to be jealous.
When he's done, I start to get up. "Lay down, and please be still" he says. "I'm going to go get you some water, and we need to do this one more time in 5 minutes". I start laughing, and say "oh, you're hilarious". He gives me that blank doctor stare and says "I'm not kidding". Oh.
After 5 looooooonnnggg minutes, in which I seriously debated bolting from the joint, he comes back in for another go-round. For those keeping track at home, this would be round FOUR of needle sticks, bringing the grand total up to SIXTEEN. No, not a typo.
As he stands over his laptop, staring at some notes, he sighs. I ask what's up, and he says he needs to test one compartment ONE MORE TIME. Before I could jump off the table, there was a needle in my leg. Again.
Finally done, he wraps me in lots of gauze and ice, while trying to break the news to be gently.
.JPG)
Three of the Four compartments in my leg need to be relased via Fasciotomy, which is a surgical procedure in which they cut the fascia to relieve tension and/or pressure.
Yes, you read that correctly. Surgery. This spring. Which means Eugene is no longer. And my sucktastic 2011 season of running continues to bleed into 2012. Awesome.
There IS a silver lining however; more than one actually:
(1) I can run right up until the surgery, which will be no sooner than mid-March. And in that time I plan to race a 10-miler and potentially a Half Marathon. I'm going under the knife in the best shape possible.
(2) This surgery is removing the problem that has been plaguing my training for the last couple of years. When I come out of this, I won't be sidelined by this injury ever again. And that is so damn sweet. If it happens to ever occur in my left leg? I'll take up a new sport.
(3) While I don't know the specifics until my consultation, it doesn't appear that the recovery is too daunting.
(4) Given the timing of the surgery, I'll have plenty of time to come out of this and train for a kick-ass late fall marathon. 2012 can still be recovered!
More to come, but that's the current status. I'm finally not limping around today, and managed to hop on the trainer for a little bit earlier. And my plan is to try for an easy run tomorrow, and see how the leg post-jabbing holds up.
Stay Tuned...
Happy Training!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Super Bowl Challenge, and Other Happenings...
Sadly, life has been too insane to have the time to blog. GASP! I
know, I know. And while I could catch up with all things compartment syndrome,
being flexible with spring running plans, and looking forward to a
mommy/Caitlyn vacation, there are FAR more important things to discuss.
THE
PATRIOTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!
I
love football. No, really. I have an irrational love of the sport, more
so than any other (televised/mainstream) professional sport. So this is a
big deal in my world. Laugh if you may.
A
couple bloggy friends conjured up a football challenge, and
I was the first person to sign up. Especially since we're playing the Giants,
and loathe all New York sports. Loathe.
I
copied the below pretty much verbatim from Samantha's blog, so everyone's clear on how this will go down.
We are runners. Distance runners. So the loser will be running.
Rules of this challenge:
If your team loses, you have to run the point differential in miles. Simple. For example, when the Patriots being the Giants (because payback's a bitch *ahem redemption*) 24-2, Michele and anyone else rooting for the Giants will have to run 20 miles. (Here's where you're thankful you're a Patriots fan).
Mile limit: When In the event that the Patriots blow out the Giants, we've capped the miles to 20 - meaning the most anyone would run is 20 miles. This works for some of us because we have a solid base and can log the distance. If the mileage is too high for you based on your current training, feel free to cap it at 10 miles - or whatever works for you!
Your miles must be logged within a week of the game, unless you can't. Then run them whenever. This is supposed to be FUN!
Now prove it - Tweet out a photo of your Garmin in shame. Not on Twitter? Put it on your blog, Facebook, or just send it out to all your beloved Giants fans, admitting the shame.
And for all of you poor souls out there who don't like football (God it hurt to even type those words), but are being forced to watch the game, now you have a real reason to root for the Patriots a team.
And tell me, which team are you rooting for? Choose wisely my friends ;)
GO PATS!!
GO PATS!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Adapting to the Unexpected..
Remember when I said I was going to take down 2012 with force? Turns out 2012 decided to bitch-slap me on January 1, 2012. Super.
It actually started on December 30th, when I happily headed out the door for an easy run. I pulled up 20 minutes in with incredible leg pain. I hopped around, screeching profanities, and then tried to jog again in hopes it was a freak thing. No dice. I hobbled back home and took a rest day on December 31st. I hit the Ice, Ibuprofen and compression hard. Before I headed out for my 11 miler on January 1st, I popped a couple Ibuprofen and said some Hail Mary's. In hindsight, I should have said a couple Tim Tebow's instead - he seems to have serious pull w/ the Big Guy.
I could feel my leg being "off" within the first 5 steps out the door. Hoping it was shin splints I could beat into submission as the run progressed, I trudged on. Again, at about 20 minutes, I couldn't take the pain anymore. There was pain, tingling, and I couldn't really feel my right foot. Awesome. I threw in the towel, shed some tears, and hobbled home. It was that kind of pain that I knew wasn't going to lessen, so I needed to suck up my pride and bail on the run.
My first order of action was making a PT appointment. My training is going so damn well, that nothing short of having to get my leg amputated is going to stop me. I have Eugene Marathon written in black on my planner, and it's going to take something huge to cross that off.
Insert Chronic Compartment Syndrome. If you know what it is, you just cringed reading that. If you don't, this is what Wikipedia says:
"When compartment syndrome is caused by repetitive use of the muscles, as in a cyclist, it is known as chronic compartment syndrome (CCS).[7][8] This is usually not an emergency, but the loss of circulation can cause temporary or permanent damage to nearby nerves and muscles. One cause of compartment syndrome is through exercise called Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome. According to Touliopolous, CECC of the leg is a condition caused by exercise which results in increase tissue pressure within a limited fibro - osseous compartment - muscle size may increase by up to 20% during exercise (Touliopolous, 1999) When this happens pressure builds up in the tissues and muscles causing tissue ischemia (Touliopolous, 1999). The cause of compartment syndrome is due to excess pressure on the muscle compartments."
Which essentially means when I run, it feels like my lower leg is going to burst open, and the contents are going to spill all over the road. Sexy, I know. I have been on Ibuprofen round the clock, as well as 24/7 compression sleeves and ice to beat back the swelling. I also spent last week beating the snot out of myself on the bike and elliptical, because I refuse to let this bring me down.
I took to the 'mill this morning for a test run, and a week of non-impact and ice/drugs/compression seems to have helped immensely. Although my baseline is wonky due to the pain relievers, I didn't feel any "pain" this morning on my 45 minute run. I view this as progress.
I am not going to let this bring me down. I've had moments of complete panic, and have resolved to just take up competitive knitting instead of running. However, for the most part I've realized that I have the choice to view the obstacles as a chance to build my mental toughness, or just completely throw up my hands and give up. And if you know me at all, the second option isn't viable. I will take this day by day, and listen to my leg. Should this end up screwing up my spring racing plans, than I will adapt and come up with a new plan. I will do whatever I can do get myself in the best shape of my life, whatever that landscape might look like. And at this moment, I'm still planning on kicking ass in Eugene.
Also, my sister's bachelorette party this past weekend. I partied like a rockstar, with my kinesio-tape and compression sleeves. We had an awesome time, and I can't believe she'll be someone's wife by the end of this coming weekend!!!
Yep, she even rocked the sash!
Happy Training!
It actually started on December 30th, when I happily headed out the door for an easy run. I pulled up 20 minutes in with incredible leg pain. I hopped around, screeching profanities, and then tried to jog again in hopes it was a freak thing. No dice. I hobbled back home and took a rest day on December 31st. I hit the Ice, Ibuprofen and compression hard. Before I headed out for my 11 miler on January 1st, I popped a couple Ibuprofen and said some Hail Mary's. In hindsight, I should have said a couple Tim Tebow's instead - he seems to have serious pull w/ the Big Guy.
I could feel my leg being "off" within the first 5 steps out the door. Hoping it was shin splints I could beat into submission as the run progressed, I trudged on. Again, at about 20 minutes, I couldn't take the pain anymore. There was pain, tingling, and I couldn't really feel my right foot. Awesome. I threw in the towel, shed some tears, and hobbled home. It was that kind of pain that I knew wasn't going to lessen, so I needed to suck up my pride and bail on the run.
My first order of action was making a PT appointment. My training is going so damn well, that nothing short of having to get my leg amputated is going to stop me. I have Eugene Marathon written in black on my planner, and it's going to take something huge to cross that off.
Insert Chronic Compartment Syndrome. If you know what it is, you just cringed reading that. If you don't, this is what Wikipedia says:
"When compartment syndrome is caused by repetitive use of the muscles, as in a cyclist, it is known as chronic compartment syndrome (CCS).[7][8] This is usually not an emergency, but the loss of circulation can cause temporary or permanent damage to nearby nerves and muscles. One cause of compartment syndrome is through exercise called Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome. According to Touliopolous, CECC of the leg is a condition caused by exercise which results in increase tissue pressure within a limited fibro - osseous compartment - muscle size may increase by up to 20% during exercise (Touliopolous, 1999) When this happens pressure builds up in the tissues and muscles causing tissue ischemia (Touliopolous, 1999). The cause of compartment syndrome is due to excess pressure on the muscle compartments."
Which essentially means when I run, it feels like my lower leg is going to burst open, and the contents are going to spill all over the road. Sexy, I know. I have been on Ibuprofen round the clock, as well as 24/7 compression sleeves and ice to beat back the swelling. I also spent last week beating the snot out of myself on the bike and elliptical, because I refuse to let this bring me down.
I took to the 'mill this morning for a test run, and a week of non-impact and ice/drugs/compression seems to have helped immensely. Although my baseline is wonky due to the pain relievers, I didn't feel any "pain" this morning on my 45 minute run. I view this as progress.
I am not going to let this bring me down. I've had moments of complete panic, and have resolved to just take up competitive knitting instead of running. However, for the most part I've realized that I have the choice to view the obstacles as a chance to build my mental toughness, or just completely throw up my hands and give up. And if you know me at all, the second option isn't viable. I will take this day by day, and listen to my leg. Should this end up screwing up my spring racing plans, than I will adapt and come up with a new plan. I will do whatever I can do get myself in the best shape of my life, whatever that landscape might look like. And at this moment, I'm still planning on kicking ass in Eugene.
Also, my sister's bachelorette party this past weekend. I partied like a rockstar, with my kinesio-tape and compression sleeves. We had an awesome time, and I can't believe she'll be someone's wife by the end of this coming weekend!!!
Yep, she even rocked the sash!
Happy Training!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 In Review..
Its the very last day of 2011 - it was a year of many ups and downs for sure. Running-wise, I'm happy to let the door close hard on this year.
January 1, 2011 marked a 10 minute "test run", as I was recovering from a torn quad that happened in the fall of 2010. All of those hours of rehabbing on the trainer paid off, as I felt both strong, and pain-free. Of course, instead of coming back and being smart, I ran the Derry 16-miler only 2 weeks after those first steps, which has the below course profile. Yeah, wicked smart.
I obviously had a terrible showing, crashed and burned, and put myself in a terrible mental space. I passed on running a spring half marathon, as I was in serious training for Big Sur Marathon.
On May 1, 2011, I flew across the country and ran the second slowest marathon of my life (anyone sensing a trend to this year yet??). Since part of Highway 1 fell into the Pacific Ocean early in the spring, they changed the course to make it an out and back. On what remained of Highway 1. The course was crazy hard, it was warm, and had lost the race mentally before I even toed the line. However, I checked the race off my bucket list, and still had a crazy fun weekend in Monterey!
I had 5 months to put together some decent training for Chicago, with this little Half Ironman thrown in the middle. In my mind, that meant volume. If I could run a million miles a week, bike a little and throw in some open water swims, I could do it all! Yep, that'll do it!
I beat the snot out of myself over the next couple of months, culminating with my worst "race" of the year in the form of a 25K in early September. It came exactly ONE weekend before my 70.3 and about a month before Chicago. I threw the white flag and realized I needed some serious triage to even START Chicago, nevermind finish. It was too little, too late, but I needed to get smart. Stat.
But first, The Pumpkinman 70.3. By far the best day (athletically) of the year. It was unquestionably the best race of the year - I loved every minute of those 6 hours. It made me want Ironman more than ever.
One month later, I toed the line for the Chicago Marathon. I had put my broken body together enough to attempt a sub-4 and stop the marathon slowing slide. It just wasn't to be - it was hot, and my body didn't have it on that day. I crossed that finish line disappointed, but hungry for 2012.
I closed on 2011 with a 5K that went better than expected. It was the product of some new training, and made me REALLY excited for what 2012 holds in store.
2011 taught me a lot about myself, all of which I can carry over into 2012. I've already made a lot of progress, and I'm looking forward to turning over the calendar tomorrow.
Happy New Year Friends!
January 1, 2011 marked a 10 minute "test run", as I was recovering from a torn quad that happened in the fall of 2010. All of those hours of rehabbing on the trainer paid off, as I felt both strong, and pain-free. Of course, instead of coming back and being smart, I ran the Derry 16-miler only 2 weeks after those first steps, which has the below course profile. Yeah, wicked smart.
I obviously had a terrible showing, crashed and burned, and put myself in a terrible mental space. I passed on running a spring half marathon, as I was in serious training for Big Sur Marathon.
On May 1, 2011, I flew across the country and ran the second slowest marathon of my life (anyone sensing a trend to this year yet??). Since part of Highway 1 fell into the Pacific Ocean early in the spring, they changed the course to make it an out and back. On what remained of Highway 1. The course was crazy hard, it was warm, and had lost the race mentally before I even toed the line. However, I checked the race off my bucket list, and still had a crazy fun weekend in Monterey!
I had 5 months to put together some decent training for Chicago, with this little Half Ironman thrown in the middle. In my mind, that meant volume. If I could run a million miles a week, bike a little and throw in some open water swims, I could do it all! Yep, that'll do it!
I beat the snot out of myself over the next couple of months, culminating with my worst "race" of the year in the form of a 25K in early September. It came exactly ONE weekend before my 70.3 and about a month before Chicago. I threw the white flag and realized I needed some serious triage to even START Chicago, nevermind finish. It was too little, too late, but I needed to get smart. Stat.
But first, The Pumpkinman 70.3. By far the best day (athletically) of the year. It was unquestionably the best race of the year - I loved every minute of those 6 hours. It made me want Ironman more than ever.
One month later, I toed the line for the Chicago Marathon. I had put my broken body together enough to attempt a sub-4 and stop the marathon slowing slide. It just wasn't to be - it was hot, and my body didn't have it on that day. I crossed that finish line disappointed, but hungry for 2012.
I closed on 2011 with a 5K that went better than expected. It was the product of some new training, and made me REALLY excited for what 2012 holds in store.
2011 taught me a lot about myself, all of which I can carry over into 2012. I've already made a lot of progress, and I'm looking forward to turning over the calendar tomorrow.
Happy New Year Friends!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Embracing the New...
The last couple of weeks have been insane (as proven by my lack of posting in over a week!). Christmas prep, closing out work for the year, and then the holidays themselves. Christmas was an insanely fun day, but exhausting just the same.
Trying to fit in workouts is never a small task, especially when it's school vacation, and you've completely over scheduled yourself on "vacation" (I am the WORST when it comes to that!).
I'm on a running program that is very different than anything I've tried before. I have made the commitment to stick to the plan (and therefore each prescribed workout) 100% - I'm never going to know whether or not this new way of training works for me if I'm sneaking in extra "illegal" runs here and there just to see my weekly mileage numbers look prettier. I'm not going to lie, it's not easy. Breaking the mold of something you've known for your entire running career, and putting all of your faith in something new, is damn hard. Running so easy that you feel like an elderly speed-walker could mow you down? Hard. Running a;prescribed pace thats close to marathon pace, but you know you could do the run faster if you were allowed? Hard. Reigning your HR in when you feel like a rockstar, just so you don't get punished by being confined to the treadmill? Hard.
I asked to take one more shot at my 5K PR in January, and then also asked if I could race a silly hard 16 miler as well. I got shot down for both, each for a different reason. I wanted to be angry, but the rationale coach put behind it made too much sense for me to get upset. If I want to execute successful goal races, I can't be toeing the line for every race that sounds "fun". Is it hard to not be able to "play with my friends" at these races? Yup, sure is. Is it easy to be able to say "no" when asked if I want to do XYZ race, when usually I'm the first one to tag along? Nope.
My goal has been to embrace the new - I need to be 100% in or out if I want this to work. And not be 100% in grudgingly, but actually wanting to execute every run as outlined in my training plan. Some days I look at my calendar while scratching my head, wondering why a certain workout is what it is. But my job is not to over-analyze, it is to go out and execute each days work, and let my coach do all that coaching voo doo stuff behind the scenes (seriously, sometimes I envision her as the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz). I have to believe in the plan, and trust that I'm going to come out the other end stronger, more confident, and faster.
As I head into 2012, I am embracing my new training style- I have a few key races lined up that I am VERY excited about, and every day's workout is with those races in mind. I'm happily leaving behind a year of not so great racing behind, wiping the slate clean, and looking forward to some fast, confident running in 2012.
Happy Training!
 |
| Christmas Madness! |
 |
| Rockin' my Skirt Sport dress on Christmas! |
Trying to fit in workouts is never a small task, especially when it's school vacation, and you've completely over scheduled yourself on "vacation" (I am the WORST when it comes to that!).
I'm on a running program that is very different than anything I've tried before. I have made the commitment to stick to the plan (and therefore each prescribed workout) 100% - I'm never going to know whether or not this new way of training works for me if I'm sneaking in extra "illegal" runs here and there just to see my weekly mileage numbers look prettier. I'm not going to lie, it's not easy. Breaking the mold of something you've known for your entire running career, and putting all of your faith in something new, is damn hard. Running so easy that you feel like an elderly speed-walker could mow you down? Hard. Running a;prescribed pace thats close to marathon pace, but you know you could do the run faster if you were allowed? Hard. Reigning your HR in when you feel like a rockstar, just so you don't get punished by being confined to the treadmill? Hard.
I asked to take one more shot at my 5K PR in January, and then also asked if I could race a silly hard 16 miler as well. I got shot down for both, each for a different reason. I wanted to be angry, but the rationale coach put behind it made too much sense for me to get upset. If I want to execute successful goal races, I can't be toeing the line for every race that sounds "fun". Is it hard to not be able to "play with my friends" at these races? Yup, sure is. Is it easy to be able to say "no" when asked if I want to do XYZ race, when usually I'm the first one to tag along? Nope.
My goal has been to embrace the new - I need to be 100% in or out if I want this to work. And not be 100% in grudgingly, but actually wanting to execute every run as outlined in my training plan. Some days I look at my calendar while scratching my head, wondering why a certain workout is what it is. But my job is not to over-analyze, it is to go out and execute each days work, and let my coach do all that coaching voo doo stuff behind the scenes (seriously, sometimes I envision her as the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz). I have to believe in the plan, and trust that I'm going to come out the other end stronger, more confident, and faster.
As I head into 2012, I am embracing my new training style- I have a few key races lined up that I am VERY excited about, and every day's workout is with those races in mind. I'm happily leaving behind a year of not so great racing behind, wiping the slate clean, and looking forward to some fast, confident running in 2012.
Happy Training!
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