Well, I must say I'm pretty nervous about running 50 miles on Saturday. To say the least, my preparation hasn't been ideal. I've been cross-training around a leg injury since the end of January, I only ran a total of 25 miles in March. The cross training has been really good but there's just no replacement for actually running, especially the long run.
I saw my PT yesterday and we seem to have plateaued in my recovery. The leg is definitely better since starting therapy but now it just seems to stay the same, no better, no worse. I tried doing nothing for 3 days to see if that would make a difference and maybe it did, in a small way. I ran an easy 3 miles yesterday and the pain does lessen as the leg muscles warm up so at least I've got that going for me.
I hate to go into the run with the attitude that I can always quit if it gets too bad. If I'm going to subject myself to all the pain, emotional highs and lows, and chance of further injury, I may as well finish the dang thing and get a jacket for my efforts :) Needless to say, I've had to adjust my original goal of setting a PR from the HK50. I think it's important to have a couple of goals going into an event, a realistic goal you can live with and also a "pie in the sky" goal if everything goes great and you're having a real good day.
#1: Finish in under 13 hours to be considered an official finisher
#2: Finish in under 11 hours to qualify for 2009 WS100
#3: Be able to walk the next day
I have so many concerns that I'm afraid I'm going to forget that this is suppose to be fun! It's going to be a beautiful day, I love the first half of the course and am really looking forward to seeing the trails of the second half for the first time. I need to try and lighten up and enjoy the experience. But I'm a competitive person and like to finish what I start.
Until Saturday.................
8 comments:
Good luck on Saturday. I assume your going to incorporate walking breaks from the get go considering your leg injury. The great thing is you will have more to "endure" than the average person out there and your story will be way more interesting. Am sure you will finish.
Good luck, run (walk) smart and have fun! : )
I really do understand how you feel. After Rucky Chucky, I thought I felt fine other than my morale taking a beating. But halfway into my 15 mile run the following Wednesday, my left foot was in pain. After further investigation and several attempts to try running again days later, I realized that I had an ankle sprain. I was worried since I did a websearch and discovered that it can take as long as 6 weeks to recover! I'm trying to qualify for Boston in May in four weeks so I was concerned. Thankfully, the pain is gone and I will run tomorrow after a week off from running.
All the best at AR50! It will be fun with all the support and crowds at the aid stations, believe me! Even though I ran it in the rain last year, I still had a blast.
Thanks everyone for the great support. I really appreciate it.
Chris, yes I will do the run/walk bit. I used it at Helen Klein last November and it seemed to work. And yes, adversity does make a great story :)
Adidas SF, (I believe it's Adrian?) Congratulations on Rucky Chucky. Sorry you hurt your ankle, hope it heals quickly. The volunteers at the aid stations (as well as the other runners) provide so much emotional support. I know I will be concentrating on getting from one aid station to the next until there are no more. Good luck getting a BQ. That is also on my "to do" list.
You've been tagged! See my latest blog post for details. : )
I hope that the race went well for you!
Hey, didn't realize 11 hours was a cutoff! Yay!
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