Like most things in life, regrets are a decision. I decided in advance of my run that I was not gonna have any doubts after the fact, no matter what transpired today.
And it worked. Certainly that attitude helped me to relax, and take it one proverbial step at a time. By 4 kms I was pretty sure it wouldn't last long anyway, as I had the tightness in my chest and shortness of breath that I've learned to recognize as a bit of overtraining. This prompted me to slow down even more from my conservative start, and furthermore I decided I was gonna take a short walking break every 4 kms or so, starting right then. As well, I decided to stay close to home so that if I totally bonked I wouldn't be stranded. I kept my breaks to a maximum of 1 minute, and used the time effectively to get lots of water down. That seemed to calm everything down, and by 7-8 kms I had found a slow but steady rhythm.
Still, staying close meant that I would pass the mailbox every 8.5 kms, and thereby allow me to use the wisdom I committed to in case of exhaustion, or what I really expected, which was to be beat by my achilles problem.
Once around was 8.5 kms, twice was 17, three times was of course 25.5, and the last tough loop made it a perfect 34 kms!! It was the slowest 34 kms I've ever run, and in the end I took 10 walking breaks,
but I have no regrets!!
Beyond that, in regards to my endurance I am pleased, and in regards to my achilles, I'm amazed. I have never experienced an injury that came on so fast, and then at least retreated to a functional level, again so quickly. As a matter of fact I would say that 6 hours later my traditionally problematic right heel is worse than the left. It's kinda nice actually when they both hurt, because I don't limp! ha ha
And as to cause, while I acknowledge that it had started to be a problem before the race, there is no longer any doubt in my mind that the major culprit was the shoes! And although they are a fairly light shoe, I think the biggest problem was the lack of laces. They use a velcro closure which I suspect simply didn't provide enough snugness, and when combined with the absence of socks resulted in a great deal of friction, that in turn caused serious inflammation, even over a short 7.5kms. In contrast, the shoes I ran 34 kms in today, are your typical middle of the road running shoes, brand new, straight out of the freakin box!
I rest my case!
So while I know I'm gonna be a bit sore for a few days, and while I know I have to continue to work hard on my achilles improvement program (bilaterally), I have absolutely no regrets about today's effort!
Game on!!
run 34 kms
"We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment."---Jim Rohn
"I'm living with every step. I can't live with regret. The past is the past. I'm not worried about it. I can't change it. I can't fix it. It is what it is. I'm just living."--- Ryan Sheckler
...and while this one doesn't really fit the post, it had the right word in it, and I quite liked it...
"Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind."---C S Lewis
Love
Peter
And it worked. Certainly that attitude helped me to relax, and take it one proverbial step at a time. By 4 kms I was pretty sure it wouldn't last long anyway, as I had the tightness in my chest and shortness of breath that I've learned to recognize as a bit of overtraining. This prompted me to slow down even more from my conservative start, and furthermore I decided I was gonna take a short walking break every 4 kms or so, starting right then. As well, I decided to stay close to home so that if I totally bonked I wouldn't be stranded. I kept my breaks to a maximum of 1 minute, and used the time effectively to get lots of water down. That seemed to calm everything down, and by 7-8 kms I had found a slow but steady rhythm.
Still, staying close meant that I would pass the mailbox every 8.5 kms, and thereby allow me to use the wisdom I committed to in case of exhaustion, or what I really expected, which was to be beat by my achilles problem.
Once around was 8.5 kms, twice was 17, three times was of course 25.5, and the last tough loop made it a perfect 34 kms!! It was the slowest 34 kms I've ever run, and in the end I took 10 walking breaks,
but I have no regrets!!
Beyond that, in regards to my endurance I am pleased, and in regards to my achilles, I'm amazed. I have never experienced an injury that came on so fast, and then at least retreated to a functional level, again so quickly. As a matter of fact I would say that 6 hours later my traditionally problematic right heel is worse than the left. It's kinda nice actually when they both hurt, because I don't limp! ha ha
And as to cause, while I acknowledge that it had started to be a problem before the race, there is no longer any doubt in my mind that the major culprit was the shoes! And although they are a fairly light shoe, I think the biggest problem was the lack of laces. They use a velcro closure which I suspect simply didn't provide enough snugness, and when combined with the absence of socks resulted in a great deal of friction, that in turn caused serious inflammation, even over a short 7.5kms. In contrast, the shoes I ran 34 kms in today, are your typical middle of the road running shoes, brand new, straight out of the freakin box!
I rest my case!
So while I know I'm gonna be a bit sore for a few days, and while I know I have to continue to work hard on my achilles improvement program (bilaterally), I have absolutely no regrets about today's effort!
Game on!!
run 34 kms
"We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment."---Jim Rohn
"I'm living with every step. I can't live with regret. The past is the past. I'm not worried about it. I can't change it. I can't fix it. It is what it is. I'm just living."--- Ryan Sheckler
...and while this one doesn't really fit the post, it had the right word in it, and I quite liked it...
"Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind."---C S Lewis
Love
Peter
C. S. Lewis ... always has a right word or 10 to say! Just like you. Glad to see this post, even if I am a day late.
ReplyDelete