Confessions of a Coach-11

Confessions of a Coach - 11
Lately, I've been wondering how many mental/physical bottoms can I hit! I believe the number must be right around a dozen or so! Just think, I only have 16+ weeks to go! By the time this is all over, I'm going to end up in "Marathon Rehab"! Come the first of the year, you will need to "Lock me up". The last few 18 milers haven't been that big of a deal for me to run. Mentally, I'm fairly good up to 16-17 and then I start getting a little edgy. Physically, I'm okay up to 16.5 and then... "I'm ready for this to be over", but still feeling strong enough to finish. I nailed the last 18 miler. I felt good and even raced a beer bellied - out of shape - old man toward the end. Let me tell you, he was hot on my trail, and we were hitting a 7:15 pace for over half a mile. I'm thinking, "Holy cow, this old fart is not giving up and he was about to take me", when he finally stopped. Thank goodness! I wasn't going to make it much further. However, I was pleased that I had a kick left in me at mile 17. Anyway, after my race with Mr. Beer Belly, I was done..."Check - please".
There are several parts of my recovery routine that I didn't do. I got lazy and paid for it. I normally keep myself moving. Take care of some shopping, eat good, drink chocolate milk and then rest. It seems to help my body to keep moving for a couple of hours before I hit the bed for a nap. This time, I stayed at Starbucks for to long, grabbed a slice of pizza, and headed home for my nap. Not Good. Still trying to reward myself for a hard workout, I was going out to a movie. But Tara called and asked me to fill in for her hubby. A night of bowling and junk food. My foot was killing me. By Sunday Morning, I felt like junk - if that makes sense. In the last 24 hours, after my long run, that's all I had put in my body! My body was very fatigued and I just wanted to lay in bed all day. But I had made plans with my grandbabies and to go for a short run. Going into Monday morning, I was ready to retire from running! All because, I got off my routine!
It's interesting just how important sticking to routines are - routines that work for you. Especially when you are training hard. Sometimes I take for granted the impact running can have on my body. I found a routine that allowed my body to recover and then for some crazy reason, I tried a shortcut. There are no shortcuts for running. It's the one thing I Love and Hate about running. I love the fact that what you get out of running is exactly what you put into it. No quick fix for resting, fueling or recovery! I also hate that very same fact. I skimped on fueling properly, resting adequately (late night with grandbabies) and it cost me.
However, I did make an appointment with Dr. Novle Rogers, Soft Tissue chiropractic. It was time to get the pain resolved! Now don't quote me on any of this, but it turns out that the muscle running alongside my tibia bone became displaced - or something like that. :) Yeah, not a big injury though. You should know, I'm still blaming "El Scorcho" for this! He also suggested, I take off a few days from running. I was "So Happy" to rest for a few days - under doctor's orders. :) I know that sounds bad, but with all this training, I just wanted a break! That will give me some time to get back to my recovery routine - a routine that works for me. Take care of yourselves - it pays off! 'Till next time...Gotta run!