Yes, my New York trip was a bit of a downer. But on that Wednesday by the dismantled grandstand in Central Park, I pulled from the wreckage of my DNS ("Did Not Start") a new resolve! I logged 18 miles while recovering that week and went in to Saturday, Nov 8th determined to run a strong 16. Through the hilly first ten I managed a 7:35 mi, but assumed superpowers or something somewhere around 45th & Duval and ran the last six under 7:00. I ended with a 7:19 mi overall, five seconds under MGP. A glimpse of a marathon effort, taken out on a poor, hapless 16. I knew I was pushing the pace for a long run, but I’d put away so many of these already and I really wanted a confidence boost. I got what I needed, even if my legs got all cranky afterwards.
My legs on Sunday morning: “Dude, what was that? You expect us to get out of bed now?”
“Zip it. I needed that, okay? Address all complaints to my elbow.”
“Seriously, we’re not moving. And we want more of the duvet. Half of it's on the floor.”
“You want an ice bath?”
“NOOOOO!!”
“Then I suggest you cooperate.”
All is well for two days as I prepare to jump back in to the Gazelles. And then, I awake Tuesday morning to a scratchy throat, congested sinuses, a cough and general crappitude. Oi. The scene at work is not pretty. Folks are calling in or leaving early, all falling to a bug that’s now going around. And of course it gets to me as well. I normally don’t blink at colds and run through them, but two runs of five and six miles during the week tell me this time to take it easy. On Thursday a doctor—not my normal PCP because he’s booked—says I have one of the typical viral infections making the rounds. My lungs are clear, but he gives vague non-runner friendly answers to my questions like, “You don’t want to push it or it may get worse.” Define ‘push it?’ Does ‘push it’ mean five miles or 20? Recovery pace or MGP? And despite my sharp interrogation, he insists that none of my setbacks have anything to do with each other. He chalks it all up to bad luck.
I take it day-to-day and by Saturday (this morning) I realize while five or six might work, putting in my final 22 today would be a bad idea. I move all my little running reminders on my calendar back a week and set my sights on 22 next Saturday, three weeks out from Dallas.
I believe I’ve developed a new marathon training regimen. For the last eight weeks of training, run a week hard and then take a week and a half to two weeks off. The BLTW (Blog Like The Wind) Approach. And yet, AND YET, I am still in the game. Last Saturday told me I have the fitness, so if I can just be patient, rest, keep an IV of Emergen-C in my arm at all times and get over this—even if it takes an ungodly two weeks, which it shouldn't—I think I can still rev back up and make it to Dallas on December 14th in good shape. Relatively.
One step forward, two steps . . . no, no, no. Two steps forward, one step back. That's more like it. I’ve worked this new schedule out on my calendar and it looks like the timing is perfect. Nov 23rd, Nov 30th, Dec 7th. Yep. The week of Dallas White Rock, I'm due to step forward.
3 comments:
Your set-backs remind me of another Gazelle who ran Dallas last year. You can start here: http://www.josheli.com/knob/2007/11/28/blindly-striking-at-my-knee/
and work your way forward or backward to get the full picture of the injury and how it all turned out. Good luck.
Jessica, thank you for pointing me to DV's blog. Oh my God. Totally thrilling to read, and very inspiring. His path from self-doubt to absolute commitment to the race is quite moving. Really helps to see a clear way out of such a murky situation.
I don't own any red socks, but maybe I should look around for some.
Dallas is just around the corner. I have do doubt you are going to rock it.
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