I've seen it happen to Tim. He trains his butt off, runs his race, and then...like that...it's over. You have to recover. No training at all for many days, and, for the first time in many months, you're not driving toward any certain goal. It was sort of a relief at first, but now I'm uncomfortable with it. It is sort of a let down.
I have started thinking about Chicago already. I'm thinking about my training and what I need to do differently. I've always known I had a lot of natural fast twitch, but after my experience (at mile 23) on Sunday, I'm pretty sure that not only do I have a lot of fast twitch, but that I'm mostly fast twitch. I am absolutely positive I could run a low 19-minute 5K right now. But my endurance in the longer distances doesn't match up with that. To be fair, this was a low mileage cycle, but it just reaffirms that what I need is volume, and not so much speed work. I didn't really have EITHER for this past cycle, but I think it's more important to focus on the volume over the intensity in training for Chicago.
We arrived home yesterday evening after a VERY long day of travel. 2 hour drive from Eugene to Portland. 3.5 hour flight from there to Kansas City. Two hour lay over. One hour flight to Indy. 1.5 hour drive to Bedford. I'll just tell you...walking through the airports was quite an experience, and I'm sure a spectacle for everyone watching. I remember laughing at Tim in the Boston airport in 2009. He could hardly shuffle. This time it was his turn, and laugh he did. The problem is, everyone in an airport is in a hurry. At security? It's all business. Well, there I am, moving like a snail, walking like Frankenstein, and taking forever to bend over and get my shoes off. I'm sure people were irritated, but I was doing the best I could.
I am still really tired. Sunday night (the night of the race), I was up most of the night with GI upset that started soon after the race and is still, to some degree, going on. My legs are feeling better, but they were put to the test when I had to climb, and later descend, three flights of stairs in Ballantine Hall today. I gave my students a final exam, and they were good enough to come up to me when they had questions, rather than making me walk toward them.
I'm starting to think about running again, which I guess is a good sign. I think I'll wait til Thursday and do a very short run, and maybe elliptical tomorrow just to get the legs moving again. Tim and I have the option of getting some bibs for the Indy Mini Marathon this Saturday, so I think we will run it. RUN...as in NOT RACE. If the corrals work out, I will try to run with my dad. But if I'm feeling bad, I'll just jog and enjoy the course. The only time I've ever run it was last year, when I was more than 6 months pregnant. It just wasn't a good experience, as I was too concerned with my bladder and my right calf to enjoy any of it.
That will be my last run before my surgery on Monday. I can't wait to get this crap out of me. My abdomen is so burned up and blistered from the TENS unit on Sunday that I can't bear to think of strapping it on again. Hopefully, it will be a quick and easy surgery during which she just makes a few snips. But you never know, especially when it comes to me.
Tim went back to see Dr. Weidenbener today about his foot pain which, despite a round of prescription anti-inflammatories, is still there. He told Tim it's most likely a stress fracture, but that he could keep running on it. With its location, there is not a risk of it becoming a full fracture, and continuing to run on it will just result in it taking longer to heal. He didn't do a scan since it wouldn't change the course of treatment anyway (he offered, but Tim declined).
Tim is now out on his new bike riding with Bill, Jimmy, and probably some others. I hope he and the bike make it home in one piece!
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