Perspective

I haven't talked about running lately because, overall, it just hasn't been going too well. I've actually renamed this post twice already...

First, it was going to be "No More Distractions."

The bun rack has left the kitchen...

Back on the back porch, ready to get covered

 

The Fair ended on Sunday and I went and picked up all my ribbons on Monday...

 

Probably my best year ever!

 

... and last week I started seeing a physical therapist for twice a week therapy sessions. I was ready to buckle down and start training! But then I felt like my physical therapist "broke" me ...

 





Week 7 Summary ( 8/10 - 8/16)
Sunday - 10 miles, I just put one foot in front of the other and got it done.

Monday - No running; Maple Syrup Contest at the Fair

Tuesday - Got up at 4 am to run with the group. I thought I was going to die after 3 miles. My hamstrings were on fire as soon as we started. We stopped at 3 miles to let the stragglers catch up and I was done. Problem was that I was no where near my car. I found someone who was running a shorter distance and ran with her back to the fitness center so I did 5 total. I went and did my initially PT session later that morning before I went to work and got some exercises to do.

Wednesday - No running but I did all my sets of PT exercises I was suppose to do: clamshells, single leg bridges, and press ups, before going to work.

Thursday - Another PT session. I had some Graston procedures done on my high hamstring/glute area and it felt pretty good. We are also working on the plantar fasciitis in my right foot so I had some tissue worked on in my right foot and calf. Then my PT wanted me to do some other exercises for my right calf - single leg calf raises. I did 20 of them successively in the office without a problem. I had an uncomfortable feeling though that I was going to have a problem. They are very similar to a ballet exercise that girls do when they first get their pointe shoes. I demonstrated them continuously for a class years ago and ended up with a mild compartment syndrome in my calves where I could hardly walk for days...

I was a little sore after PT but it was my day off and I got out and ran 5 miles that evening.

Friday - This was suppose to be my long run. I had 15 planned. My right calf was killing me when I woke up - tight and in a big ball. I was hoping it would loosen up during my run. I got to mile 6 and I felt like there was a 20 lb ball of weight on my right upper calf and it got worse with every step. I got back to my house at 7.5 miles and bailed on the rest of my run.

Saturday and Sunday - My right calf hurt so much I could barely walk. It was so tight I couldn't fully extend my knee. I worked all weekend in compression socks and just hobbled around.

Week 7 Total Miles: 27.5

The second title for this post was going to be "Monumental Decision."

After my horrible weekend hobbling around, I had pretty much decided that the Monumental Marathon wasn't going to happen. I was incredibly frustrated. I went to PT to try and get better and now I could barely walk. I still hadn't been able to get a decent long run in after 7 weeks.

I went out Monday to try a long run. Maybe if I could get a long run in on Monday I could still do this. Nope. Legs were burning less than half a mile in. I pretty much figured I was done, I just couldn't post it.

Tuesday - Another PT session. Now what do I do? I have bi-weekly sessions scheduled to the end of the month. Seems like a waste of time if I'm not going to do my marathon but I guess I need to get my legs better anyway. So I go. More Graston. Some new exercises. And then my PT says he wants me to keep running (I didn't tell him my doubts about Monumental) and see how it feels on a long run. And, he schedules me for a gait analysis... so I guess I can't quit running quite yet.

I worked all day after the PT session. When I got home, I could have thrown dinner on the table and rushed out the door to try and get a run in but decided I just wanted to sit with my family and enjoy dinner, then hang out with my kids... so no run on Tuesday. Still thinking about throwing in the towel on doing a marathon this year.

So now we come to today...

I went to try a long run. I wanted to report back to my PT how my legs felt. Aside from ever doing those calf raises again, I've been religiously doing ALL my PT exercises every day. The weather was hot, humid, and iffy for thunderstorms so I decided to hamster track it. It was safe. I could bail at any time on the track.

I ran 5 miles. Everything felt fine. I did 5 more. Still OK. I still had time before the kids got home. I ran 5 more. YESSS!!

I had a lot of time to think crap out too... and that's how I got to "Perspective."

It really comes down to perspective. How far is a long run? My brain says long is further than a half marathon. Probably not what most people think.
What's the difference between discomfort and pain? Sometimes I feel like I've been so uncomfortable for so long I have a hard time telling the difference and tend to stop running through the discomfort that I've run through before. Maybe it's time to suck it up some more.
How lucky am I to be able to do this? There are those that struggle with a 5K. I just laid down 15 miles for practice.

Yeah... I just laid down 15 miles. Funny how your whole perspective on things change. I think I still might be able to pull this out. However, this is the middle ground I've come to... it won't be the end of the world if I don't BQ this year. I enjoy running without a watch. I just want to get some miles in at this point. If I can keep putting some miles in, I'll work on my time after that.