Alright, I’m going to admit something that I would rather not, but in the interest of being smarter and improving my running, I feel it is necessary. I read TCI last year and jumped right into Phase 1. But, Karen, you don’t have a HR monitor. “That’s ok”, I said to myself, “I can run based on feel.” Bad idea #1. 6 weeks into Phase 1 my heel and arch started feeling tight and sore. “I’m sure that’ll go away.” Bad idea #2. Continued to train, since the pain was only bad first thing in the morning and some evenings after teaching all day. Bad idea #3. Then one day after a 15 miler, I was hobbling around with pain and tightness that almost brought me to tears. “This is ridiculous”, I thought. “Stop being so stupid and fix the problem.” Yes, I wanted to run that 50K, but at what cost? If I want to be a life-long runner, I've got to take better care of myself. I've took 2 weeks off running, cycling instead. I gradually started to run again, alternating running and cycling. Oh, and I bought an HR monitor. (Insert sheepish grin here.) After only wearing it a few times, I realized that I was NOT running in the zones I should have been. It totally explains where my plantar fasciitis came from. At first I was really pissed off at myself for being so stupid. But I quickly realized that wasn't going to help me heal and improve. I have embraced starting over. There’s something exciting about starting fresh again. Has my training been cut WAY back? Yes, but I know I’ll get back up to those long runs that I love so much. Will I run that 50K this year? Probably not, but that doesn't mean I won’t run it eventually. I guess my CI has changed into a restorative goal versus a performance goal. It’s not what I was originally going for, but that’s what it is. Nothing I can do about it now, but learn from the experience and grow. (And not be so stubborn in the future!!) I am starting over and I’m OK with that.
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Update: I have run for the last 6 months in HRZ 2 only. It was effing frustrating how slowly I had to run to keep my HR in check. But I kept with it and I'm proud to say that I have been able to take 3 minutes off my mile time in HRZ 2!!!!! It's amazing and at first I couldn't figure out how running slowly would make me faster. (Sorry, Eric, I know you talk about this in your book, but I can be one hardheaded girl!) But I am realizing that I have let my body adapt to running at a certain HR instead of making my heart work to run at a certain pace. It was one of those "DUH!!" moments. I hope to continue to see improvements, not only in my running times, but I think I will also see WAY fewer injuries related to over-use. We'll see... :)
Thanks to you all! Rich- I laughed at myself when I realized how stuck I was on a time frame. So glad I let it go. Lori- good luck with the PF, its such an annoyance, isn't it?! Robert- I agree that things happen for a reason. I don't think I'm done seeing what this injury has taught me and I'm excited about that! :)
I'm going to paraphrase a quote I read on another website, "Don't chase fitness down, let it come to you." This really hit home for me. I have a hard time being patient, but I'm learning...
Karen your injuries were part of your journey part of your learning process, your single mindedness, and determination will keep you in good stead once you heal. Things always happen for a reason, good luck, take care and keep us posted.
I like the "restorative goal"...that will absolutely translate into performance! Glad to hear your voice! I am working through a bout of that mean ole plantar fasciitis myself ;)