If you've been a runner for any length of time, I'm sure you've encountered a period when something has really thrown you off your game plan and made you really contemplate how you're going to get through it. Whether it be an injury, a scheduling conflict or any number of other life events, I feel it's when we sit down and are forced to develop a new plan that we learn what we're truly capable of.
I'm going through this experience right now. I'm having discomfort in my lower right leg, which at times in recent weeks has reduced me to stop running completely for almost a week at a time—which for me is a long time. This is while I'm trying to prepare for a 25K trail race—one that's only a few weeks away! And a race that I wanted to do but couldn't for one reason or another for four years straight!
The discomfort in my leg was only there sporadically but became constant after a recent training run. In part that run was to test my leg and see how I do, both physically and mentally, with running when my body is not 100%. I found out that I can push through it. I found out more than that though. I found out that I would pay the price for pushing though. Running wasn't an option anymore when just walking for extended periods worsened the discomfort. I waited to resume a return to running until I had one complete day of my leg feeling fine. But even after one very short run that was slow, my leg felt horrible the next day. This told me that I was trying to come back to soon. I had to listen to the feedback that my body was giving me. I felt that trying to run through this discomfort would do nothing but cause injury, and leave me worse off in the long-term.
There is an option to hike this 25K race, so getting back to running wasn't completely necessary for this event, but deep down I wanted to run as much as I possibly could. Since running just seemed to exacerbate the discomfort in my leg, I knew that hiking was where my focus had to turn. As long as I could get back to the point where constant walking, in this case hiking, then I would be fine to complete this event that I was so looking forward to doing.
My new (short-term) goal was to get my body back to the point where I could cover the distance without doing any running. My long-term goal of course was slowly return to running and build up my distance. I was fairly certain I could pull this off because I actually did it once before to get through a marathon. Dealing with the same issue, I used a run/walk method to get through 26.2 miles. I ran for 5 minutes and then walked for 5 minutes. That wasn't how I wanted to complete that marathon years ago but it was better than not doing it all.
During that process of adjusting my training for that marathon, I learned how to better listen what my body is telling me. Dealing with discomfort or pain isn't the same as going out for a run when you're feeling tired or have a nagging ache. It can mean not running at all. I had to learn to have more patience even if it meant not running when I think I can, in order to let my body heal. This is a hard lesson to learn but one that is necessary for long-term success.
Speaking of that, I also learned that sacrificing the short-term is sometimes necessary to achieve the long-term plans. If you have many races on your calendar or several goals that you're working toward, it might be necessary to give up one of upcoming races or goals in order to do your best and be healthy for the bigger race or goal somewhere out in the distance that you really want to achieve. Just because you disregard a short-term goal doesn't mean there isn't addition by subtraction!
Finally, I learned that my mental strength grew as a result of my diminished physical strength. In the end, I completed that marathon in a respectable time and could use everything I learned should I encounter similar situations again. Here it is three years later and I'm having the same issue again only now I have previous experience and knowledge to draw upon and use to get through this upcoming event. The mind is a powerful tool to use in running, you just have to use it for good and not evil (in lack of better terms.) During that training run that led to this discomfort, I had a set distance I really wanted to get in as preparation for this 25K race. While I did cut that training run short, I should have cut it a lot shorter than what I really did. My leg was bothering me during the run but I thought I could get through it. I was wrong. While it's a hard lesson to learn, being wrong isn't always bad. I learned to be more patience and listen to what my body is telling me as a result of this issue I'm having.
With just shy of two weeks before this event, I am now able to run short distances again, as a result of taking more rest than I think I need. It's listening to that feedback though that taught me I really do need that extended rest. I also know that I have to dial back the intensity at which I do my training runs too—again it's about making a conscious effort to remember what you want to achieve in the long-term. I have to reset my goals upon examination of just how I feel both during and after each run. In all honesty I think I'm better off still hiking and just work in small amounts of running should my body allow it during this event.
I'm looking forward to finally competing in this trail event in 13 days!
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Back to racing—finally!
It's my belief that there's just a certain feeling that comes over you whenever you're running in a race. It's a combination of excitement, competitiveness, and adrenaline mostly. I hypothesize that it comes from being around other like-minded individuals as your training and hard work culminates when you put forth your best physical, mental, and emotional effort to see just where you stand, both against your prior self and against others. I experienced that again today for the first time in a long time!
Being a sunny, hot and humid day in August—I sweated—a lot! However, there's simply no way I'd trade the feeling I received from competing in this race. The event I competed in was the 15K distance of the On The Rocks Trail Run at Rocky Ridge Park in York, PA. It's a race that I've run several times before and one of the races I look forward to every year. While I ran what I'll call a "somewhat hard effort" of the 10K distance of this race last year, along with a few select others last year, it's difficult to call any of them truly racing. So when that competitive fire found me again today for the first time in around two years, it was like finding and reconnecting with an old best friend.
My two previous posts in this blog discuss why my running took a backseat and my difficulties with returning to running. The content of those posts is what made today have importance to me. And truthfully I didn't set out to really race this event. What this event was suppose to do was serve as an assessment of my fitness and readiness for a just as hard 25K event I have coming up in 6 weeks. This was going to be the closest thing to that 25K and provide more feedback for me than any amount of training runs. Of course I get to compete in a quality race that I love as a bonus!
I don't actually know what my finish time was for this race. My best guess is a finish time somewhere between 1hr 30min and 1hr 40min—I'll find out when they post race results but as of this writing they weren't posted. The reason I don't know my finish time is I forgot my watch so I ran the entire race just based on how I felt. When the hills were too much and reduced me to power hiking, that's what I did. I wasn't alone in doing this, and even if I was, I wouldn't have been ashamed. From past experience, I think the power hiking actually saves me energy at spots on uphill sections. During the race there was one spot that was a long uphill, and while I was power hiking, I actually gained ground on a runner in front of me while he was still doing his slow running. Soon I passed him and I didn't feel too bad at the top of the hill. I know had I attempted to run the entire hill I would have stressed myself to the point of fatigue from a cardiovascular viewpoint and lack being able to recover nearly as fast and pick up my pace again.
Going back to my point about forgetting my watch, I think that probably helped me today. Instead of continually watching my pace and mile splits, I was back to the basics and doing something that myself and many other runners should probably do more often. Running on how I feel forced me to assess both my body and my mind. And it was the information that I got from doing this that is essentially what I was after in the first place—learning how I felt on uphills and on flats and near the end of the race. It is all information that I can apply both in upcoming training runs and my 25K. Sure I don't have my mile splits, but in reality, it's the story behind those mile splits that really tells why each of them are what they are. So while forgetting my watch initially stressed me out, instead I tried an alternate approach that was really closer to what I needed to do anyway.
I was glad I felt good today and that this race went well for me. Believe me, this was by no means an easy race! What felt best was that I didn't feel intimidated by the course at any point. Even with knowing this race would end with a long uphill climb, I didn't feel like that section wore me out like it has in the past. Yes, it was difficult and again reduced me to hiking but I never felt the intensity of tiredness like I have in the race previously. I'm hoping that was the result of the hill work I did in my training! I was concerned prior to the race about how today was going to go. The longest training run I did was right around 8 miles so I barely got in the proper training. Secondly, for whatever reason, I didn't sleep well this past week and have been increasingly tired despite purposeful efforts to get sufficient sleep.
I think that's why everything coming together today has surprised me. It's been so long since I truly raced, and with likely being slightly undertrained, I am surprised this race went so well. A 14th place finish is definitely good enough for me! I think about 40–50 runners ran this distance judging from the tags on the finishing board at the finish line.
Going forward I know that I still have work to do for my upcoming 25K in the name of increasing my distance and continued work on hills. With today's race letting me know that I still can be competitive, I know that have indeed increased my fitness and endurance level since once again making running a priority. Had this race proved to set me in my place and fatigue me to the point of letting doubt creep into me, I would have really had to reassess how I was going to pull off this 25K in 6 weeks. However, with that thought now erased, I can move forward with at least moderate ease and continue hitting the trails and still have fun while out on them instead of getting so into my training that I don't even get to enjoy the nature that's around me. And that's what I really love when I'm out there, getting in tune with nature and marveling at what it can provide to all of us!
Being a sunny, hot and humid day in August—I sweated—a lot! However, there's simply no way I'd trade the feeling I received from competing in this race. The event I competed in was the 15K distance of the On The Rocks Trail Run at Rocky Ridge Park in York, PA. It's a race that I've run several times before and one of the races I look forward to every year. While I ran what I'll call a "somewhat hard effort" of the 10K distance of this race last year, along with a few select others last year, it's difficult to call any of them truly racing. So when that competitive fire found me again today for the first time in around two years, it was like finding and reconnecting with an old best friend.
My two previous posts in this blog discuss why my running took a backseat and my difficulties with returning to running. The content of those posts is what made today have importance to me. And truthfully I didn't set out to really race this event. What this event was suppose to do was serve as an assessment of my fitness and readiness for a just as hard 25K event I have coming up in 6 weeks. This was going to be the closest thing to that 25K and provide more feedback for me than any amount of training runs. Of course I get to compete in a quality race that I love as a bonus!
I don't actually know what my finish time was for this race. My best guess is a finish time somewhere between 1hr 30min and 1hr 40min—I'll find out when they post race results but as of this writing they weren't posted. The reason I don't know my finish time is I forgot my watch so I ran the entire race just based on how I felt. When the hills were too much and reduced me to power hiking, that's what I did. I wasn't alone in doing this, and even if I was, I wouldn't have been ashamed. From past experience, I think the power hiking actually saves me energy at spots on uphill sections. During the race there was one spot that was a long uphill, and while I was power hiking, I actually gained ground on a runner in front of me while he was still doing his slow running. Soon I passed him and I didn't feel too bad at the top of the hill. I know had I attempted to run the entire hill I would have stressed myself to the point of fatigue from a cardiovascular viewpoint and lack being able to recover nearly as fast and pick up my pace again.
Going back to my point about forgetting my watch, I think that probably helped me today. Instead of continually watching my pace and mile splits, I was back to the basics and doing something that myself and many other runners should probably do more often. Running on how I feel forced me to assess both my body and my mind. And it was the information that I got from doing this that is essentially what I was after in the first place—learning how I felt on uphills and on flats and near the end of the race. It is all information that I can apply both in upcoming training runs and my 25K. Sure I don't have my mile splits, but in reality, it's the story behind those mile splits that really tells why each of them are what they are. So while forgetting my watch initially stressed me out, instead I tried an alternate approach that was really closer to what I needed to do anyway.
I was glad I felt good today and that this race went well for me. Believe me, this was by no means an easy race! What felt best was that I didn't feel intimidated by the course at any point. Even with knowing this race would end with a long uphill climb, I didn't feel like that section wore me out like it has in the past. Yes, it was difficult and again reduced me to hiking but I never felt the intensity of tiredness like I have in the race previously. I'm hoping that was the result of the hill work I did in my training! I was concerned prior to the race about how today was going to go. The longest training run I did was right around 8 miles so I barely got in the proper training. Secondly, for whatever reason, I didn't sleep well this past week and have been increasingly tired despite purposeful efforts to get sufficient sleep.
I think that's why everything coming together today has surprised me. It's been so long since I truly raced, and with likely being slightly undertrained, I am surprised this race went so well. A 14th place finish is definitely good enough for me! I think about 40–50 runners ran this distance judging from the tags on the finishing board at the finish line.
Going forward I know that I still have work to do for my upcoming 25K in the name of increasing my distance and continued work on hills. With today's race letting me know that I still can be competitive, I know that have indeed increased my fitness and endurance level since once again making running a priority. Had this race proved to set me in my place and fatigue me to the point of letting doubt creep into me, I would have really had to reassess how I was going to pull off this 25K in 6 weeks. However, with that thought now erased, I can move forward with at least moderate ease and continue hitting the trails and still have fun while out on them instead of getting so into my training that I don't even get to enjoy the nature that's around me. And that's what I really love when I'm out there, getting in tune with nature and marveling at what it can provide to all of us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)