The Day I Didn't Run...

We all have those days...the one where according to your runningbible training plan you should be running but you don't.  It can mess with your mental focus.  But like I've mentioned in previous posts you have to be willing to bend and meet the training plan.  However even the best of people can have life get in the way.  For me training for this ultra marathon started in July.  I had to build my base mileage up so I could begin the 16 week plan, so really this has been about a 20 week process.  I met the plan with enthusiasm and was successful getting in my runs.  One blip was hip pain that came with the increased weekly mileage.  But I was vigilant and sought care from an ortho, just to make sure there wasn't anything serious going on and then I started with PT, having Graston work on my IT bands and deep muscle massage and on my TFL (a muscle in the hip).  It worked after only a few short sessions my body became more flexible and my hip pain subsided.

VT 50- 0600 Conditioning Relay Teams! Looking pretty good at 6am!

On Sept 28th I went into the Vermont 50 mile relay with just enough confidence and trepidation that a newbie ultra runner should have.  As I explained in my last post I took a dive on the trail around mile 15.  I finished my 20 mile leg, running on my ankle.  When I got home and explained to my husband what happened I pulled up my pant leg to show him my ankle, even I was in shock at how swollen it was.  It hurt, but honestly I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I kind of shook it off.

1 day after the fall...this was the beauty on my ankle.

My longest run of my training was slated for Oct 4th, 32 miles.  Mentally I had been looking forward to this run for a month.  It's that mix of terrified excitement, where you think to yourself...Can I really do this?  It's terrifying to think of it in terms of miles, 32 miles is far, but when you've hit that long run on your training plan, you look back and say "come on race day, I've got this".  For me that day didn't come on Oct 4th.  For the week after the race I didn't run, not at all...I didn't do spinning or the elliptical, I declined going to walks with friends all in hopes of healing faster.  I laid low.  I spent a lot of time with a bag of frozen peas, watched some chick flicks and rested only being on it when "mom duty" called.  I thought maybe, just maybe if I totally give it time off It would be better by Oct 4th.

This was a week later I had my PT tape it and it seemed like it was getting better.

 Well Oct 4th came and went.  I talked with my running coach, and she said the long run could be pushed out to Oct 11th but after that your cutting it too close to race day to recover for a successful 50 mile race.  Oct 11th I could deal with.  I set my sights on that weekend.  Surly it would be better by then right?  Well I hate to say it but here we are two weeks and a half weeks out I'm still NOT, I repeat NOT doing anything and actually it is now re-swollen and the last two days I have had shooting pains up the side of my ankle.  

Not being active is horrible.  Mentally running is my drug of choice (hahaha!)  It keeps me sane.  Not running has been a test of my mental sanity.  Depression has started to set in.  I thought maybe just maybe I could downgrade to the marathon instead of the 50 miler.  I can see now that, those thoughts are probably wishful thinking.  I had my pity party this weekend.  Reading all the blogs of my beloved running friends who ran Chicago, Hartford CT and those running Columbus this coming weekend.  I had 1 full marathon and a 1/2 marathon planned into my training for this ultra.  I absolutely love races.  The atmosphere has so much positive energy that it's palpable. Race day is what keeps me going through crazy training days. Knowing that the best part is yet to come gets me through.  I was 6 weeks out when I fell.  10 weeks of training lost.  It sucks.  But I have decided to turn my attention to things within my control.  More of that to come.

Have you ever suffered an injury that took you out of your race?  How did you deal with it?  How did you adjust your exercise and what did you focus on? Inquiring minds want to know!

Run Intentionally!

Well I'm sitting here on my Monday morning sipping my perfect cup of coffee and icing my swollen right ankle.  But instead of feeling sorry for myself I'm elated.  Let me explain why.  If you follow my blog then you know I am in the thick of training for a 50 mile trail run in November.  This past weekend I ran my longest trail run ever, 20 miles of a 50 mile relay in the mountains of VT.  To say I was scared was an understatement.  My longest trail run ever has been 6 miles.  Most of my training for this ultra has been on the road or the beloved dreadmill treadmill so 20 miles seemed a little scary.  Not to mention I was the third runner of our group of three and each runner who came in after their leg said "OMG did you see this hill..and that hill?"  All those comments just fueled the anxiety and fear that was rolling around in my head. It's interesting if you look at it how the mind plays tricks on you, fuels that anxiety ridden side and fills you with doubt when you don't even know what's coming.

It was a gorgeous day, even a little too gorgeous for running.  Temps in the 80's and full sun after the morning fog lifted.  I headed out for my portion of the run around 12:28 in the afternoon according to my GPS watch.  The first few miles were a myriad of hills and trail.  The crazy thing about trail running is that there are places you can cruise along and others where you do not have a choice but to take a deep breath hunker down and walk the trail.  Running a large hill is just a waste of precious energy and not something to squander away.  By mile 5 or 6 I started to get into it.  I felt light on my feet like a boxer in the ring.  Bouncing around, on my toes totally alert and focused on the trail ahead.  I didn't look far ahead just at what was right in front of me at that moment.  That next single step.  I surprised myself at how good I felt at the technical aspect of the trail.  What I had feared the most was really nothing more than a huge ball of anxiety that my mind created for me.  So much wasted energy.  Does that happen to you in life?  Do you waste time contemplating and thinking about what is about to come instead of focusing on the here and now?

I made it to the second aid station aprox 12 miles into my run feeling pretty darn good for the hot conditions.  I had two cups of gingerale and refilled my water.  I also took two salt tabs and went on my way.  The view from here was amazing and the pictures didn't really do it justice.  Normally I would not stop to take pictures, let alone a selfie.  But it was too beautiful not to take it all in, plus this was so posed to be a training run, not a race.

hi hot sweaty mess!

So at mile 15 it was back into the woods under the canopy and much needed shade from the sun.  I was feeling re-energized again taking the trail head on, watching my footing feeling confident in my technical ability to own the trail.  I'm not sure exactly where I was mileage wise but in one quick second I was down.  Biting it hard.  My right ankle turned and I slammed down on my left knee.  My hands dug into the dry dirt and I must of yelled out some profanity because the two runners in front of me stopped and the one coming up behind me asked if I needed help.  I gritted my teeth and said  "No no I'm ok, I just need a minute".  I pushed myself off the single track trail and collected myself.  My ankle hurt like hell, but my ego hurt more.  I knew instantly what went wrong, I wasn't paying attention to my run.  I was focused on the girl in the red shirt I had passed earlier, she was coming up on me and I wanted to stay ahead.  I could hear her coming up on me, so instead of looking at the path that was right in front of me I let myself look ahead.  Too far ahead and that was not where my focus needed to be.  What I needed to do was focus on my intentional foot steps right in front of me.  I needed to stay right in that moment but instead I heard the foot falls of the girl in the red and I let my mind wander to the 10 steps that were coming.  I wasn't watching what was right in front of me and boom.  Needless to say the girl in the red shirt passed me and I never caught her again.  

I did get up and shake it off.  My knee hurt and was bleeding, my ankle sore, but I was not going to stop.  I walked more of the last 3-4 miles than I care to admit.  My foot steps after that were very cautious like a kid that has fallen off his bike a few times after taking the training wheels off.  Your cautious to take those next few pedal strokes for fear of falling off again.  Unfortunately I could not get that fluid, light on my feet feeling back.  I was so annoyed at myself.  Have you ever had that happen to you in life where you are not being intentional with your steps and you miss the mark?  Have you ever stumbled and fell only to look back to see that if you had taken the steps properly, focused on the task at hand and not worried about what other people were doing you would have succeeded in your goal?  Well I certainly did yesterday.

Note to self:  

1. don't let anxiety and negativity predetermine your future, you don't know what actually is to come until you get there. 
2. be intentional in what you do.
3. be in the moment and focus on the task at hand 
4. don't worry about what is to come because you cannot change it or make a decision until you get there.  
5. and don't worry about what other people are doing, this isn't about them this is about you and your goals.

I did finish the race, my time for my leg of the relay according to my garmin was 4:14 for 19.8 miles.  that's a 12:51 pace.  Not bad given the hills and the fact I bit it around mile 15, took a bunch of selfies and pictures along the way.  My lovely team members and crew cheered me to the finish line which was, if I must say pretty spectacular!  The best part of my day was when I heard them shout my name from the top of the mountain I lifted my fist to signal I could hear them and picked up my pace.  I almost cried at that very moment.  

I'm a total dork when I'm running just FYI!

Phew!!! That was a lot of inner work that was found on the trail yesterday.  Have you ever had that kind of moment where you knew you didn't do something right because you were so focused on everything else that you forgot to be intentional with that you were doing and the steps you needed to take to accomplish that goal?  Tell me about it.  I can't be the only one who has had this ah ha moment.

So You Want To Be A Runner?

Well one thing I'm learning very quickly training for this ultra is that you can't just run and think that's good enough.  I have always been someone who cross trains.  Since moving to MA I have tried multiple gyms to try to find the perfect fit for me.  I like doing classes and also being able to use the free weights and workout on my own.  Over the past two years my cross training has been very haphazard. I go to a few classes, do some of my usual weight routine but nothing consistent.  I can totally feel the places where I need more muscle strength to keep up with the demand of this training program.

It's funny because looking back at all my different race experiences the races that I did well were ones that running was on par with my weight training.  So I'm back at it a minimum of two days a week.  If your looking for a place to start or maybe take your weight training to the next level check out Mountain Athlete. My running coach introduced me to this site and it is awesome.  The people at Mountain Athlete know their stuff!  They have training plans to fit different types of goals, ultra running, mountain climbing, skiing.  They provide video demonstrations of all the different exercises so you can make sure your form is correct.

So if you want to be a runner utra runner, then you cannot just run.  You need to strength train to get your body to perform at it's peak.  Do you strength train?  How often?  What keeps you motivated?  I want to hear all about it!