It's been a while. Almost two years, exactly. A lot can happen in two years. You can quit a job. You can get a new one. You can move hundreds of miles. You can have a kid...or two. You can get married. You can get divorced. You can even watch two full seasons of "The Biggest Loser." Heck, you can do all that TWICE. Yep, two years is a long time indeed. However, two years is much too long to not have a race on your schedule that is of such a magnitude that it scares you. Wouldn't you agree?
At the beginning of June, it will be exactly two years since my last marathon. I'm becoming rather concerned that my PR has an expiration date, and that pretty soon some running fairy will swoop down and remove my 26.2 sticker from my car. However, up to this point and for the foreseeable future, life isn't going to permit me to dedicate the time and effort to properly training for a marathon. Currently, I have a pretty stellar ankle issue going one, and surgery is imminent when it becomes too painful to run. I'm praying that is still a few months off as I do not relish the idea of, once again, sacrificing my hard-earned fitness to recover from yet another surgery. The ankle crap coupled with all of the life-changing goings-on over the past few years is what has precluded me from having that BIG RACE that inspires enough fear to encourage serious training. And, with serious training, a serious taper. Until now...
Not all BIG RACES are LONG races. For some people a 5K is a BIG RACE. It's their goal race, be it their first or their desire for a PR. Over the past few years, half-marathons have been my goal races, but never my BIG RACE. I've probably run 5-6 13.1s over the past few years with lots of shorter races peppered in, but none of those have required a true taper. Life circumstances pretty much negated a chance to PR, so if I wasn't going to PR, why taper? Why not train through the race? So, that's what I've been doing. My times have been respectable, and it's been working for me so far. However, my competitive spirit is alive and well and I DO have a BIG RACE on my horizon. The Irongirl...my first triathlon.
Since I haven't had a BIG RACE on my schedule for the past two years, and I've not truly tapered at all during that time, my legs are feeling the miles. Added to the miles of running, the new-found fatigue associated with cycling and swimming are starting to rear their ugly heads and pretty much take over my body. This week, each evening it's been a struggle to get the motor running. The first half mile of all of my runs makes me question whether I can even complete my workout. The pain in my bum ankle is there, but I expect that. I do not, however, expect that pain that is creeping up in my left ankle, the "good" ankle. Nor do I recognize the pain in my high hamstrings that is pretty constant, too. That is nothing to mention the fact that I can't raise my left shoulder above my head due to an old dislocation and this new swimming motion thing.
And the funny thing is, for all of this pain...I LOVE IT. This pain is what lets me know I am pushing myself to my limits again. This triathlon might only be a sprint. And it might only cover 23 or so miles total...well short of my longest endeavors. But this BIG RACE is going to be a PR for me. It's going to be another goal achieved. It's going to prove that I can still take on a challenge and smash my limits. And it's going to require me to TAPER....to rest, restore, and renew my body so that on RACE DAY I can be my very best. This week, the knowledge that I have a taper coming, the mere idea that I get to take some time to eat healthfully, sleep a little more, and put my feet up and catch up on the DVR is what is motivating me. Just five more training sessions stand between me and a goal so big that I thought I'd never even register. And even if I rest a little more than necessary and put on a few more pounds during my taper, it's all going to be worth it on RACE DAY when I look back after that finish line and feel the pride of learning to swim, of pushing myself beyond my limits one more time. Two years has been two years too long to not feel the pain of training followed by the pride of achievement. I can't wait to get back to that finish line!
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| My Last Marathon... Not My Finest |
Not all BIG RACES are LONG races. For some people a 5K is a BIG RACE. It's their goal race, be it their first or their desire for a PR. Over the past few years, half-marathons have been my goal races, but never my BIG RACE. I've probably run 5-6 13.1s over the past few years with lots of shorter races peppered in, but none of those have required a true taper. Life circumstances pretty much negated a chance to PR, so if I wasn't going to PR, why taper? Why not train through the race? So, that's what I've been doing. My times have been respectable, and it's been working for me so far. However, my competitive spirit is alive and well and I DO have a BIG RACE on my horizon. The Irongirl...my first triathlon.
Since I haven't had a BIG RACE on my schedule for the past two years, and I've not truly tapered at all during that time, my legs are feeling the miles. Added to the miles of running, the new-found fatigue associated with cycling and swimming are starting to rear their ugly heads and pretty much take over my body. This week, each evening it's been a struggle to get the motor running. The first half mile of all of my runs makes me question whether I can even complete my workout. The pain in my bum ankle is there, but I expect that. I do not, however, expect that pain that is creeping up in my left ankle, the "good" ankle. Nor do I recognize the pain in my high hamstrings that is pretty constant, too. That is nothing to mention the fact that I can't raise my left shoulder above my head due to an old dislocation and this new swimming motion thing.
And the funny thing is, for all of this pain...I LOVE IT. This pain is what lets me know I am pushing myself to my limits again. This triathlon might only be a sprint. And it might only cover 23 or so miles total...well short of my longest endeavors. But this BIG RACE is going to be a PR for me. It's going to be another goal achieved. It's going to prove that I can still take on a challenge and smash my limits. And it's going to require me to TAPER....to rest, restore, and renew my body so that on RACE DAY I can be my very best. This week, the knowledge that I have a taper coming, the mere idea that I get to take some time to eat healthfully, sleep a little more, and put my feet up and catch up on the DVR is what is motivating me. Just five more training sessions stand between me and a goal so big that I thought I'd never even register. And even if I rest a little more than necessary and put on a few more pounds during my taper, it's all going to be worth it on RACE DAY when I look back after that finish line and feel the pride of learning to swim, of pushing myself beyond my limits one more time. Two years has been two years too long to not feel the pain of training followed by the pride of achievement. I can't wait to get back to that finish line!
1 comment:
Can't wait! It is going to be a great race :)
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