These past two weeks of training have found me facing mental roadblocks and unexpected injury.
After a great half performance in Mt. Dora, I took the next two days off as I felt a little sore and did not want to push it. I knew I ran the half fairly hard due to the hills and needed the rest. I ran my tempo run that Thursday with a goal to do everyday to make sure I was used to running Thursday through Sunday for Dopey. The tempo run was good but I freaked out a little bit at the trail as I was running by myself in total darkness in the woods for the last mile or so. Totally my fault for not going out a half hour earlier but it was still a good run. I was starting to feel a bit hurt after the run so I did not do my easy miles on Friday but did the easy miles on Saturday on the elliptical.
Although I have ran 16 miles before, for some reason I felt very nervous about it Saturday night and during the run. I cannot say with certainty that I have ever felt the butterflies in my stomach feeling before (I usually feel like I have to plop) but for the first time ever, I genuinely remember experiencing this. I do not know why, maybe because I realized how close Dopey was coming up, maybe because I realized I will be running 26 miles for the first time, but I just felt really nervous before and during the run. This hindered my performance greatly along with the realization of the season's necessary injury. I felt the discomfort in my ankles from the first steps but by mile 9 I was done. I had no choice but to finish as I was on the turn around but I could only run about .40 of each mile. It was by far the worst run I have experienced all season. I have had a few other fails but those were caused due to trial and error with nutrition; however, this was a complete mental and physical breakdown.
The following morning after the run I woke up feeling like the Tin Man. I almost fell out of my bed as my legs were stiff and in pain, wishing they made WD-40 for human hinges. I started my stretching routine that evening and was completely shocked by how tight I was all over. I got on the roller and was not sure if my shins were made of bone or a mountain range and felt as if a thousand knots appeared on my calves and quads over night.
I usually swear by the roller but I could feel it would not be able to reach those identifiable bumps. The solution was one of those hand-held self-massagers with the little balls. I took two days, focusing on my thighs and calves each day to begin feeling some real relief. Since Thursday, I have gone to the gym and done as many miles as I can, about 4 - 6, on the recumbent bike and doing a good stretch session afterwards. Little by little I have felt better each day and for the past couple of days I have felt my body doing its repair work--muscle spasms. Sometimes they are a bit uncomfortable but it makes me happy to know that I will feel a little bit better when I wake up the next morning. I am going to continue the routine for the next week and I hope by next Sunday I am feeling almost 100%. I am also planning to incorporate a few hip strength exercises if I feel well enough next week and some yoga days, at least for the Monday and Tuesday of the race week, to make sure I am as strong and limber as possible.
Mentally, I felt a bit down that I had to taper a week early but on the flip side, I know that I have put in enough work that this extra-long taper is not going to hurt the progress I have made the last 15 weeks. At this point, the focus is to get to the start line and not feel hurt those four crucial days. I am just a bit worried that I have not tried out my new inserts. It is awesome that they are thinner than my other ones but I don't feel as if I have the same amount of arch support as I did with my other ones. I am just hoping that I can get in at least a 5k run before the race so I can know for sure. This is not something I want to find out on race day. I am however, going to try compression socks for recovery for the first time during the races. I have never wanted to make the investment as there is no science to back them up but a lot of people swear by them and I will need all the help I can to recover, particularly from the half to the full.
I am still experiencing anxiety about the marathon; just looking at the course map gives me jitters. I am trying to hatch a good plan to get over the butterflies. I hope to come up with something to ease the fear within this week because I know that this mental anguish will ruin my marathon performance more than anything. Let's see what I come up with.
After a great half performance in Mt. Dora, I took the next two days off as I felt a little sore and did not want to push it. I knew I ran the half fairly hard due to the hills and needed the rest. I ran my tempo run that Thursday with a goal to do everyday to make sure I was used to running Thursday through Sunday for Dopey. The tempo run was good but I freaked out a little bit at the trail as I was running by myself in total darkness in the woods for the last mile or so. Totally my fault for not going out a half hour earlier but it was still a good run. I was starting to feel a bit hurt after the run so I did not do my easy miles on Friday but did the easy miles on Saturday on the elliptical.
Although I have ran 16 miles before, for some reason I felt very nervous about it Saturday night and during the run. I cannot say with certainty that I have ever felt the butterflies in my stomach feeling before (I usually feel like I have to plop) but for the first time ever, I genuinely remember experiencing this. I do not know why, maybe because I realized how close Dopey was coming up, maybe because I realized I will be running 26 miles for the first time, but I just felt really nervous before and during the run. This hindered my performance greatly along with the realization of the season's necessary injury. I felt the discomfort in my ankles from the first steps but by mile 9 I was done. I had no choice but to finish as I was on the turn around but I could only run about .40 of each mile. It was by far the worst run I have experienced all season. I have had a few other fails but those were caused due to trial and error with nutrition; however, this was a complete mental and physical breakdown.
The following morning after the run I woke up feeling like the Tin Man. I almost fell out of my bed as my legs were stiff and in pain, wishing they made WD-40 for human hinges. I started my stretching routine that evening and was completely shocked by how tight I was all over. I got on the roller and was not sure if my shins were made of bone or a mountain range and felt as if a thousand knots appeared on my calves and quads over night.
I usually swear by the roller but I could feel it would not be able to reach those identifiable bumps. The solution was one of those hand-held self-massagers with the little balls. I took two days, focusing on my thighs and calves each day to begin feeling some real relief. Since Thursday, I have gone to the gym and done as many miles as I can, about 4 - 6, on the recumbent bike and doing a good stretch session afterwards. Little by little I have felt better each day and for the past couple of days I have felt my body doing its repair work--muscle spasms. Sometimes they are a bit uncomfortable but it makes me happy to know that I will feel a little bit better when I wake up the next morning. I am going to continue the routine for the next week and I hope by next Sunday I am feeling almost 100%. I am also planning to incorporate a few hip strength exercises if I feel well enough next week and some yoga days, at least for the Monday and Tuesday of the race week, to make sure I am as strong and limber as possible.
Mentally, I felt a bit down that I had to taper a week early but on the flip side, I know that I have put in enough work that this extra-long taper is not going to hurt the progress I have made the last 15 weeks. At this point, the focus is to get to the start line and not feel hurt those four crucial days. I am just a bit worried that I have not tried out my new inserts. It is awesome that they are thinner than my other ones but I don't feel as if I have the same amount of arch support as I did with my other ones. I am just hoping that I can get in at least a 5k run before the race so I can know for sure. This is not something I want to find out on race day. I am however, going to try compression socks for recovery for the first time during the races. I have never wanted to make the investment as there is no science to back them up but a lot of people swear by them and I will need all the help I can to recover, particularly from the half to the full.
I am still experiencing anxiety about the marathon; just looking at the course map gives me jitters. I am trying to hatch a good plan to get over the butterflies. I hope to come up with something to ease the fear within this week because I know that this mental anguish will ruin my marathon performance more than anything. Let's see what I come up with.