So, I realized that I had not run any long races in 2013 yet and I was not okay with that. So I looked up my possibilities for a fall half. The towpath was out because I just can’t get motivated to do a trail race and I didn’t want to do any smaller races. I will admit that I like (need?) the large crowds and the cheering. Hey, at least I’m admitting it! So I then found Columbus. Oh yeah, that would work – it met my criteria: large race, I have not done it before, I had time to train adequately, and I think it is pretty flat. Plus, my sister and her family live in Columbus so we could potentially wrap a visit in with it! Registered and done. October 20 here we come!!
The first two weeks of training are done already and have gone pretty well, I guess. My first “long run” I actually did on a Friday at lunch because we got lost and ended up running longer than we wanted to! Then my long run (6) yesterday was pretty good. I have followed my weekly training exactly this week – using yoga as my cross training, of course. There are just two issues/challenges that I’m having right now – one physical and one is in my head:
1. Physical – I have some sort of hip, psoas muscle, hamstring issue in my left leg. It is annoying. I noticed it back in June and got the recommendation from a fellow runner/yogi for a trigger point massage therapist who works with lots of runners. I got into her finally this week and it was pretty cool. She was extremely good and knew what she was talking about. She helped my leg, but it is still not totally better. The trigger point was not as bad as I thought – it actually felt good to have some of those kinks/knots pushed out. I will go back to her next week for a follow-up and see how it is then. What happens when I run is that I start to get pain down my leg to the outside of my knee and also my lower back. Once I got about 3 miles into my run yesterday it felt better (gotta love those endorphins!) and today I feel okay. It is just annoying and I don’t want it to lead to a more serious injury.
2. Mental – So I feel like I’m slowing down and it is bugging me. Part of it is because I have this annoying sensitive area in my leg, but part of it is just because I’m getting older? Maybe because I have a few extra pound than I did before? I don’t know, but I am feeling frustrated that I’m not as fast as I once was or that I feel like I can’t keep up with my other runner friends. I actually find myself chastising myself during certain runs if I have to walk a bit. I know, I know -this is so stupid and not good for me – just being totally honest! I felt good during my solo run yesterday when I tried not to look at my watch, but just let my body find the groove that it needed. Then I was able to really enjoy the run and my surroundings. I know I need to lighten up on myself. My race, my pace – right? I was bellyaching to my husband about it and he said, “hey, I couldn’t run 6 miles”. He always knows exactly what to say. Hmmm – yes I need to remember to be grateful for what I CAN do and enjoy every mile – in the moment. Just when I thought I knew it all…ha, ha!