Duh

I went out a couple of weeks ago for a 12 mi run, and accidentally did this:

Don’t ask. The point is that when I hit the stop button and saw how far I had gone, the fact that I was in a crazy amount of pain, and had walked most of the last 20 min made a lot more sense. Such a dumb ass. I would have cried, but I was too tired, and needed more fluids. I was beating myself up during that last bit, pissed off and disappointed that I couldn’t even finish 12 stupid miles. How was I going to get through my half mary in April? How was I going to get through a full mary in November? Oops.

So I’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying to get over that. Well, my legs, anyway. They got pretty angry with me for not being able to do simple math (there’s a reason I rub nekkid people, y’all), and have refused to let me run far or fast ever since. I’ve tried the road and the treadmill. I have to say, as far as being injured goes, I do much better on the road than the treadmill. My problems are shortened and dysfunctional muscles in my right glutes and leg. On a treadmill, you can’t really work on certain things. You know, because the ground is moving. Heh. So the road is better for that.

Until yesterday, I had topped out at an 18 min, 1.62 mi run. Every time I tried to run and failed, I would get pissed. It was my own fault, and if I didn’t learn from this, there was no hope I’d ever meet all of my running goes (they extend well past a full marathon, I tell you).

Friday night, I went to my fitness center’s Last Chance Workout. Wow. I’m glad I went, and I honestly wish they did it every week. It was great, and so much fun. Mainly because I totally got picked on and singled out, which makes me work extra hard. While I was on the treadmill for the first round of cardio, I noticed it was a little easier, and my knee wasn’t tightening up. This was good. Gave me some optimism for my run the next day. I stayed away from leg machines for that workout, tho the super awesome and lovely Trainer Adam had me do stairs while everyone else got to do cardio machines. Ugh.

Yesterday, I headed out for a run of yet undetermined length. I knew I had to take it easy, start out slow, and pay attention to what I was doing. I usually listen to podcasts when I run, but opted for music since it meant I didn’t have to pay attention to what I was hearing. After 20 min, I wanted to quit. It was starting to hurt. I remembered what Ian Adamson of Newton Running said during a run clinic I went to last year. If you’re hurt or tired, it’s the perfect time to work on your form. That’s what I started doing. It still hurt, just not as much. I worked on relaxing, lowering my arms, and keeping my chin up. Then I noticed my strides were too long, so I shortened them which helped a lot. I ended up running 5.84 mi yesterday. They were slow, but I got them done. I was very happy with that when I finished.

So, I guess I’m learning from my mistakes. Good thing, too. I want this year to be a good one with some pretty big goals met. I can’t be screwing myself up!

Oh, and it’s always nice to know you’re not the only one out there who does stupid running things.

• fitness
• Ian Adamson
• injuries
• Newton running
• rehab
• running