My off season

So just a little recap of the past several months. I find comfort and closure in journaling my races or running adventures.

Back in middle February I got a pretty intense hip flexor injury. The Zane Grey race was my A race for 2014 and I couldn't bear to let it go. So I decided to do whatever I could to get through this race before I could take serious time off running. I saw my Physical Therapist NS and he helped nurse me through a preparation race for ZG (Mesquite Canyon 30 miles) and got me to Zane. Maybe you have read how Zane didn't go as I planned. Not at all. But in some ways I felt that dropping out with 17 miles was the perfect solution for me. I got a taste of this Zane Grey race but I also saved my injured legs from 33 more miles of stress.

So now, Zane Grey over, time to focus on some real recovery.

BUT, first. My running group, the Sweat Sisters, were all doing a half marathon in Laguna Hills Half in May. I wouldn't put allot of training in, and I wouldn't worry about it being one of my fastest races. But I had to go have my girls weekend. I couldn't pass up this time with my running gals. This was Memorial Weekend. May 26th. My legs were starting to improve. But now my Awesome PT was going on leave for a few years. Maybe I was improving enough to get by on my own now. The pace I was hoping would feel manageable at LHH ended up being 30 seconds faster than the pace that actually felt manageable. I still felt happy with the final average pace though. This race was very hilly. A difficult course. At first I was disappointed that it was one of my slowest half marathons. But then I made peace with it. After all, Id rather run a challenging and interesting course than to nail a number.

After LHH I had a hard time recovering and I could feel that the race had cost me much of the improvement that I had started to make with my injury. I had tried to run a very manageable pace, but lets face it...in a race setting the excitement will always make me go faster than on a normal running day. And now my PT wasn't around to help me.

So I figured that Id take some time off and get better. BUT, first. My birthday was June 8th. I was turning 40. You only turn 40 once. It seems like a big number. I really felt the need to commemorate this birthday with a 40 mile run. Aravaipa was offering a 40 mile distance in their Adrenaline race which would take place on June 14th. Just 6 days after birthday. Close enough. What a great way to get support for my 40 miles. I just needed 40 miles. I didn't need to be speedy. I had been going to do it on a Saturday morning, mostly on my own. That wouldn't have been fast. So I convinced myself to let go all need for speed on this night run and just get my miles. Run as slow as my body wanted. This wouldn't set me back too much with my injury. Hec, maybe Id even walk allot of it.

My friends VC and EC signed up for one of the shorter distances of the same race. I was sad that we couldn't do some of the miles together, because our distances started at different times. But I was happy to see them at the beginning and to feel some support and talk with them about the race later.
I really liked the race format. There were 2 loops, one of them around 6 miles and one around 10 miles. We started with the shorter loop and then alternated short, long, short, etc.

I never looked up my final stats but when my watch quit it said 21.75 at 12:28 pace. I know I slowed down after that though. I think my final time was 8:20. Some of the highlights of the night, good and bad:
*I didn't feel like getting sentimental over the last 40 years of my life. I just felt like running. I like my life and I;m happy with where I'm at.
*I love running trails at night. It is scary and exciting. Id be too scared to go on a trail run by myself alone at night. But if its a race setting, then I feel that animals or any kind of danger will be respectful of the race and let me live.
*I saw a snake crossing the trail in front of me at one point and he was really taking his time. I stopped and patiently waited for him to cross the trail. No snake hurdling for me.
*I was painfully bloated for the last loop. I think that I may have overdosed on Imodium. Lesson learned.
*I memorized a couple of country songs to play in my head during the race. Every time since the race that I'm driving and hear "Letting the night roll" in the car, I sing it loudly and cry a little. Because it brings me back to my trail night. I'm not sure why I'm emotional about it, or if it is happy or sad emotion. Maybe both. It might have to do with how much I liked the night run, but also something to do with the emotional struggles I've had this year with my compromised running.
*Noah dropped me off at the race and I told him to sleep in til 4 am. Asking him to get up before that seemed kind of like asking him to not sleep at all. And I figured that would give me plenty of time to finish. I finished before 3:30 so I hung out with Pati Coury (the race directors Mom) until Noah got up and drove out to the McDowells to get me. She was fun and interesting to listen to. She is the lady who is always cooking up made to order quesadillas and burritos at the finish line.

So now I was able to run my birthday 40 and it was definitely time to take some time off and rest. BUT, first. Just one more thing. My Utah trip. Every 4th of July. I love running the different mountains and trails in Utah. I love having hills right outside my parents door. I love a change of scenery and elevation. Last year, 2013 trip to Utah, I was not able to run. I had some health issues and spent some time in the Urgent Care. This year I was not gonna pass up the opportunity to run in the nice Utah weather. I ran every day except Sundays. I got 4 trail runs and 3 nice road runs. I took it slow and easy so my hip injury wouldn't suffer. I got a 40 mile week in. I enjoyed every mile, every moment.

I got home from Utah and felt kind of okay for about a week and a half. And then I really didn't feel okay. I really couldn't run in any kind of normal form. I felt really broken. I took a week off and then tried 3 miles. It didn't feel good. I took another week off and then tried to run. Still didn't feel great. I started running again, slowly but with walk breaks. I found a new Physical Therapist close to home. I have been trying to come back. Slowly. A little more mileage when ever it feels possible. A little more intensity whenever it seems possible. I am trying to mend. I have been building my weekend mileage for St George Marathon. The time for my summer "off-season" is over. I am feeling tiny bits of improvement all the time. But it is still frustrating and I am just waiting for running to feel like my comfort zone again. When running is bad its okay. But I remember that when running is good, its fabulous. There is nothing like it.

So there is the story of my 2014 off season. Next blog will be about SG marathon. Unless I decide to skip it. Getting better has to be first priority. I will see how I feel as it gets close.