As usual, I’ve been meaning to write a post, but just haven’t had the time. I just realized my last post was about Ragnar, which was wayyyyy over a month ago!
I’m still focused on my word of the year: uncomfortable, and I think I’m doing a fairly good job keeping myself on my toes….
Swim Update
Apparently, Dori finally found her fins (somewhat). My first swims were terrible. I can’t even imagine how painful it must have been for anyone else who had the unfortunate luck to be near the pool at the same time as me those first few swims. I didn’t give up, though! Thanks to the guys at the pool who have taken me under their wings, I have made marked improvement which is DIRECTLY related to their tips. Don’t get me wrong….I still have a LONG way to go. I know this because I had Alli film me today when we went to the pool, and there is still a lot of work to be done. But I am very happy with the fact that I can even swim 500 or 1,000 yards at once, regardless of the speed.
Running has been a pain in my psoas
Considering I haven’t updated since Ragnar, I should probably update on the psoas (aka hip flexor). The psoas is directly responsible for lifting the femur during walking and running – believe me when I say it is a VERY important muscle! I have had some yucky injuries, but given the choice, I would choose a stress fracture over psoas trouble every time.
Right after Ragnar, I went to get a massage. When I got up from the table, I knew that was a huge mistake. OK…..I knew it was a mistake before I went but I did it anyway. The MT really irritated a nerve in my glutes, which were over-worked from trying to pick up Mr. Psoas’ slack…..I could barely walk when I got up off the table. That added some days to the recovery, for sure.
I had registered for Skyline Half Marathon, which was just 2 weeks after Ragnar. I knew immediately that I had no chance of running it, nor did I want to. I have some BIG goals (which I’ll announce later in this post) and I need to be as close to 100% as possible if I have a chance to reach them.
During the 2 weeks after Ragnar, all I did was bike and swim. My coach had already built in a week of nothing after Skyline. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t sway him to let me run….which was smart, by the way…(but he did add in a couple of bike workouts for me. 🙂
I started running again the second week of May and just this week have started feeling that I might fully recover. All 3 of my runs this week have had minimal recovery and I haven’t noticed very often that my psoas is even there….which is really good news!
Goalz
A few months ago, I let my coach talk me into running a 50 miler. Honestly, I was starting to get excited about it (there were 4 guys and me from my club ), but I had another idea that I just couldn’t shake. I KNOW I can run a 50 miler, with the right training. This other idea, though…. I am so close to being able to snatch it. But even with the right training, I could still fall flat on my face. These 2 things – the 5oM and my idea – were on the opposite ends of the training spectrum. The 50M is mostly endurance based and my other idea….well it is mostly speed with some endurance built in.
After A LOT of discussion with my coach, I decided to back out of the 50M to focus solely on this goal, which is <drum roll>……to qualify for Boston. The timing of the 50M was terrible – with the training and then a month’s recovery after, I wouldn’t have had time to properly prepare for BQ attempt. I couldn’t shake the feeling in my gut that it just wasn’t the right time. My mantra became, “don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.” This was instrumental in helping me choose my path. I remember telling Brent that I couldn’t have anything to blame, except me, in the event I don’t qualify. The 50M would have been a HUGE excuse. This has to all be on ME. Like I said, I don’t even know if I will qualify. I do believe that I can get close, but there are so many variables on any given day. It scares me to death but is exciting at the same time!
I’ve only told a handful of people about this BQ attempt. I feel weird (ok…scared beyond belief) even talking about it in this blog. I don’t want to be one of those people that ramble on and on about their BQ attempt ad nauseam. I seriously debated about putting it out there at all, because if I fail…..well, you know. I mean, who wants to put a goal out there then fall flat on their face?? (Hint: Not me) But I decided that putting it out there will give me some accountability….just like the removing the 50M as an excuse….I need accountability.
The Road to Boston (Gosh, I’m so corny)
My first marathon of the season will be in Rochester, NY, in September. I had originally chosen it because Brent instructed me to choose a ‘hilly’ marathon during that time frame to prep for the 50M. It worked out perfectly because my Sole Sister, Jenn, just happens to be running her FIRST marathon in that VERY race!! I am BEYOND excited that I will be there with her when she becomes a marathoner!! This isn’t my BQ race, though. OH MY GEEZ!!!! The elevation is at least 3 times anything I’ve ever run in Texas! I am just hoping to clock a decent time and get an idea where I stand for the “REAL” attempt, speaking of….
The “REAL” attempt will be at Houston Chevron Marathon in Houston in January. January is a looooooooong time away!! In reality, this will be broken up into a couple of training cycles. Technically, I’m training for Roc right now, but I’m focused on my first triathlon (a sprint) that I will run at the end of July. This distraction is good for Jen, mentally. After Roc, I’m running Ragnar Hill Country Ultra with some bad asses from my club, Renegade Endurance. (By the way, YOU should join and make sure that you tell them Jen sent you!!) After that, I suspect we will scale the training back to build up to Houston. My max training cycle is 4 months….anything over that starts to kill me mentally and physically. Plus, there is an excitement in starting a new training cycle. (Or maybe that can be attributed to the fact that the training load is scaled back! LOL)
What if Jen falls flat on her face?
I have no idea. I’m not even going to consider it right now. Even if all my training lines up perfectly, race day can still be a bust. You just never know what the race will throw at you. I know I’m going to put my whole heart and body into training and hope for the best when I toe the start line.
And there you have it…
The cat is out of the bag and there’s no going back! Now I need to play it smart until I get this psoas totally under control so that it doesn’t derail ALL my hopes and dreams. (Sadly, I was only half-joking there…)
OH!! SCHOOL IS OUT FOR THE SUMMER! I SURVIVED!!!
Have a great weekend!!
Jen
Dirt LeJENd 