My runs last week sucked. There is no other way to put it, really. They blew chunks. I was in pain; I felt slow; I was sure I was never going to be able to do that damn half ironman. So I took drastic measures -- I cancelled all running for a week. I swapped a bike for a Sunday run and added some extra swimming.
I wanted to see if, after a week of no running, would it at least not hurt me to walk. I hobbled through most of last week, desperately cluching the hand rail on stairs and trying not to wince as I walked down the street. I even dreamed that I had to do a half ironman in reverse order (half marathon first) and was trudging along ever so slowly while thinking "I am never going to be able to finish this!" Eventually the pain in walking went away. Today, I ran.
I ran free as a bird -- no heart rate monitor, no treadmill, no outdoor track. I ran down Riverside Drive after dark all by myself and I could not have been happier. It felt like a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I don't know what's going to happen next with my running, but for the first time in a LONG time I had a run that I actually enjoyed. Tonight I go to sleep with a big fat smile on my face. Maybe tonight I'll dream of finishing that f-ing half marathon!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
Failing and being okay with it
I typically have an extremely hard time failing at anything, especially my self-inflicted goals. I have an even more difficult time accepting any type of failure, coming to terms with it and moving on. I'm not sure how I overcame this personality quirk (is it those fish pills I've been taking -- apparently they are supposed to "stabilize mood"!!), but I am totally okay with the fact that I did not complete my 14 hrs of training last week.
First of all, I was sick and decided that resting was a higher priority. This ended up being a pretty good choice, I think.
Secondly, I only missed that 14 hour mark by one lousy 45 minute work out (deducted from my least favorite sport, running).
I used my new "reality-based" attitude on a grueling 1 hr and 40 min run yesterday, to great success. My ankles were killing me, so at the 1 hour mark I decided that I'd complete the last 40 minutes by doing run/walk intervals. I stopped briefly to stretch and wallah, my ankles were like new again! It was truly amazing. After I stretched, they completely stopped hurting. After 10 min more of running the pain would be creeping in again, at which point I'd walk a little and stretch again. Presto! Back to normal again. Usually the day after these long runs are incredibly painful for me. I usually swing my legs out of bed and as soon as my feet hit the floor -- PAIN! Today, the hurt only a little and it went away completely by the middle of the day.
This whole moderation thing is really mind-blowing.
First of all, I was sick and decided that resting was a higher priority. This ended up being a pretty good choice, I think.
Secondly, I only missed that 14 hour mark by one lousy 45 minute work out (deducted from my least favorite sport, running).
I used my new "reality-based" attitude on a grueling 1 hr and 40 min run yesterday, to great success. My ankles were killing me, so at the 1 hour mark I decided that I'd complete the last 40 minutes by doing run/walk intervals. I stopped briefly to stretch and wallah, my ankles were like new again! It was truly amazing. After I stretched, they completely stopped hurting. After 10 min more of running the pain would be creeping in again, at which point I'd walk a little and stretch again. Presto! Back to normal again. Usually the day after these long runs are incredibly painful for me. I usually swing my legs out of bed and as soon as my feet hit the floor -- PAIN! Today, the hurt only a little and it went away completely by the middle of the day.
This whole moderation thing is really mind-blowing.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The $30 Solution to My $450 Problem
While I didn't completely ignore the podiatrist's advice from a few weeks ago, I never called to make a follow up appointment during which I was supposed to have molds of my feet made for orthotics -- specifically $450 orthotics.
I'm not in favor of ignoring medical advice in general, but in this case, I've decided to at least try taking things into my own hands before I lay down that kind of cash. With this can-do attitude I headed for my local running store and looked for orthotics that tout arch support as their key attribute. The most expensive ones were Powerstep Pinnacles, coming in at a whopping $29. Even better, these suckers came with a 30 day money back guarantee, for any reason, and had some fancy seal saying they were "podiatrist designed". I was sold!
I'm happy to report an exceedingly high level of satisfaction with these insoles. I took the soles out of my running shoes (who knew those things came right out??) and slipped these ones in. Since then my runs have been relatively pain free.
Typically the first five to ten steps are sheer misery for me, sending pain coursing through my lower legs and feet. During my first (and every subsequent) run, that initial pain had completely disappeared. I still get a bit sore and at the end of long runs and the day after those long runs, but I ice and heat every night and it's mostly under control. The dream of Half-Ironman glory lives on!
Oh, and in case you were worried about my big toe joint as well, it seems to have subsided into a subtle ache at times, pain free at other times. I keep taking my over the counter pills, as prescribed by the girlfriend/medical savant, as they seem to help. Whether it's a placebo affect or actual chemistry I cannot know, and nor do I care, frankly.
I'm not in favor of ignoring medical advice in general, but in this case, I've decided to at least try taking things into my own hands before I lay down that kind of cash. With this can-do attitude I headed for my local running store and looked for orthotics that tout arch support as their key attribute. The most expensive ones were Powerstep Pinnacles, coming in at a whopping $29. Even better, these suckers came with a 30 day money back guarantee, for any reason, and had some fancy seal saying they were "podiatrist designed". I was sold!
I'm happy to report an exceedingly high level of satisfaction with these insoles. I took the soles out of my running shoes (who knew those things came right out??) and slipped these ones in. Since then my runs have been relatively pain free.
Typically the first five to ten steps are sheer misery for me, sending pain coursing through my lower legs and feet. During my first (and every subsequent) run, that initial pain had completely disappeared. I still get a bit sore and at the end of long runs and the day after those long runs, but I ice and heat every night and it's mostly under control. The dream of Half-Ironman glory lives on!
Oh, and in case you were worried about my big toe joint as well, it seems to have subsided into a subtle ache at times, pain free at other times. I keep taking my over the counter pills, as prescribed by the girlfriend/medical savant, as they seem to help. Whether it's a placebo affect or actual chemistry I cannot know, and nor do I care, frankly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
