June 2012 was not what I expected. In May I came off of two huge PRs at the 26.2 and 50 mile distance, I was invincible. I was running faster and throwing up mile splits I could not even fathom a few months back. After the PRs I trained harder and faster without as much focus on my recovery and I paid for it. I over trained and under-recovered and naturally my body gave me the finger after a few weeks.
The first two weeks of the month my left calf muscle hurt every step I took. I tried massage, visits to the chiropractor, even acupuncture...but what I needed was to rest. I stopped for a few days and felt stronger. Once my calf did not hurt to walk on I cranked out 8 miles at redline; that night the pain returned. I was not longer enjoying my runs and no longer being happy.
It was the slice of humble pie I needed. After the PRs I was having a lot of fun shattering times on my regular routes. Feeling so lean and fast I did not want to stop, but the truth is my body was putting out more than it should have and since I did not recover the injuries forced me to do so. Last week I logged 30 running miles and it is an achievement considering the month of June was a fraction of what previous months were. But I learned a valuable lesson, don’t cheat recovery and run happy or else you’re not doing it right.
My realization is very timely since the Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR) announced on their website the Headlands races are still happening. I guess some other group stepped in and will be putting them on. The RD announced on Facebook the PCTR company was shut down, so I figured that the event happening was 50/50. The injuries have reset my goals for this race. I will be going for a finish rather than a sub-24 performance. Again, humble pie but if I want to be doing this for the long haul I need to let my heart and mind work to get it done instead of allowing my ego dictate pace.
The first two weeks of the month my left calf muscle hurt every step I took. I tried massage, visits to the chiropractor, even acupuncture...but what I needed was to rest. I stopped for a few days and felt stronger. Once my calf did not hurt to walk on I cranked out 8 miles at redline; that night the pain returned. I was not longer enjoying my runs and no longer being happy.
It was the slice of humble pie I needed. After the PRs I was having a lot of fun shattering times on my regular routes. Feeling so lean and fast I did not want to stop, but the truth is my body was putting out more than it should have and since I did not recover the injuries forced me to do so. Last week I logged 30 running miles and it is an achievement considering the month of June was a fraction of what previous months were. But I learned a valuable lesson, don’t cheat recovery and run happy or else you’re not doing it right.
My realization is very timely since the Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR) announced on their website the Headlands races are still happening. I guess some other group stepped in and will be putting them on. The RD announced on Facebook the PCTR company was shut down, so I figured that the event happening was 50/50. The injuries have reset my goals for this race. I will be going for a finish rather than a sub-24 performance. Again, humble pie but if I want to be doing this for the long haul I need to let my heart and mind work to get it done instead of allowing my ego dictate pace.
2 comments:
Good to hear your doing well. I think enjoying the runs are better than finishing them.
I think we all underestimate the time needed to recover...it's a disciplined person who can follow the advice they easily give to others; "just rest for two weeks and you'll be fine"!
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