Yup, you read the title right. The 20 Miler didn't happen. It wasn't for lack of trying, I tried 3x, it was however an evil plot of mother nature and my IT band joining forces against me. I leave you with the 20 Miler that wasn't...
Friday I headed over to B.o.B's basking in the after glow of a week's worth of great running, being excited about my one month countdown and my cuz scoring us a hotel for race eve and of course excitement to see my girl and the B.R.A. for another running adventure. Upon arriving B presented me with my very own wood courtesy of Coach Tom!!! YAY! (Once it's painted I promise to show you said wood...) We spent the night being our usual party animal selves... watching TV, making a trip to Publix to get random items of interest, my stretch routine much to the entertainment of B and her roommate, epsom bath, etc... before calling it a day.
Around 3:45 am the synchronized alarms were blaring and we were both up and at 'em... and immediately realized that it was STILL raining from last night. Maybe it would pass? We did our thing, got ready and I noticed my knee was twinging... hmmm not good... so I iced it and did some more stretching before we headed over to the spot... amidst even more rain and lightning. You know where this is headed right? I.don't.run.in.the.rain.
There were fewer peeps there than normal and everyone was wondering to run or not to run... I headed over to the Sevy to hit up the friendly law enforcement boys to see if they'd check the radar for us... Diagnosis: RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. That was all I needed, I promptly informed the crew I was out. They on the other hand decided that at the very least they'd try to get in an out and back. So B and I headed back to Compton and hit up the gym for 30 minutes before promptly nestling back into bed.
After our glorious little nap we headed over to Panera to meet back up with the peeps... a few had stopped amidst the storm but the rest of the hardcore crew trudged all 22 miles they had on board!!! I felt like I should bow in their presence or at the very least give them a round of applause. Everyone gave me as much crap as they could for not sticking it out but I still stand by my decision that I would've been miserable.
After breakfast I headed back to O-town in a torrential downpour and hopped on the weather website as soon as I arrived home. There was about a 3 hour window starting just then that there would be little to no rain before we got flooded again so I quickly changed and headed over to Cady Way. Now I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box so the fact that I overlooked the other implementing weather conditions of the hours in question or the obvious fact that I live in FLORIDA aka the Sunshine State is classic. When I started my run at 2pm it was sunny skies and 88 degrees... by the time I hit the park around mile 4 I was severely overheated, my knee was buckling and I was starting to see stars. Bravo Morgan, Bravo. Here's your sign. After I regained my composure and refilled my handheld that had long been empty I headed back to my car... cursing my stupidity, the heat, my knee and another failed attempt.
The rest of the night I wallowed around in self pity, being a very grumpy roommate indeed. I made plans to attempt the run again in the morning with Lazy Runner and hit the hay early once again... It was a long night, my knee was aching, I kept waking up drenched in sweat, the Blonde and her boyfriend stumbled home around 2am being loud as f*ck and when my alarm finally went off I hit dismiss instead of snooze and overslept til LR called at 4am. This is not the way to start out a run... while I went through the motions of getting ready my knee continued to ache and ache and by the time LR got there I was far from ready and my spirits were crap. I'm pretty sure he didn't know what to think because he made the comment "I've never seen you like this before a run."
The route I mapped out started at my place, hit downtown, around through Winter Park, Baldwin Park and then back... with plenty of chances to call it quits if one of us wasn't feeling it. (LR is still not 100% from his ITB issues) So we headed out and immediately I'm in excruciating pain. My form is jacked, I'm choking back moans of pain with each step and LR... well LR just finished his coffee and was chanting "Let's go Morgan, Let's GO!!!" I kinda wanted to choke him.
We made it a whole block down the street before I had to stop and try to re-adjust/stretch.. all the while he's playing with the traffic light box and manages to turn the stop light into flashing lights... "Um... run Morgan, time to run, let's go..." Nice. I get maybe a half a block before my knee buckles and I am down on all fours. This wasn't happening. Defeated, in pain, and trying my d@mndest not to cry in front of LR we limp back to my place. We must have looked pretty pathetic because a taxi going the opposite way swung around and asked us if we needed a lift.
When we got back to my place LR demanded Tiger Balm and for me to lay down on the floor where he proceeded to give me the most painful IT band massage EVER. (Let me just say that I had hoped for a far better story to share with ya'll about a guy massaging my leg after months of celibacy but this was def not the case...) Dr. LR confirmed that my IT Band was beyond tight and that I needed to take it easy. So with my leg in euphoric numbness I headed back to bed.
As I sit here now recapping the epic FAIL that was, I wonder if I had just put my big girl pants on and ran in the rain yesterday if I would have made it or not... or if the knee would've gave out like it did this morning and I would've been the worse for the wear, especially with all the puddles and such they said they ran through... but wondering "what if" isn't going to do me a d@mn bit of good. So I'm just going to take it easy today, foam roll, soak in another epsom bath, stretch, stretch and more stretch and hope for the best. This is the first time I have ever missed a long run and I still have 2 more before taper. I also know I have a solid base so I'm trying not to let Negative Nancy get the best of me.
4 weeks til Chicago! I KNOW I've still got this.
Friday I headed over to B.o.B's basking in the after glow of a week's worth of great running, being excited about my one month countdown and my cuz scoring us a hotel for race eve and of course excitement to see my girl and the B.R.A. for another running adventure. Upon arriving B presented me with my very own wood courtesy of Coach Tom!!! YAY! (Once it's painted I promise to show you said wood...) We spent the night being our usual party animal selves... watching TV, making a trip to Publix to get random items of interest, my stretch routine much to the entertainment of B and her roommate, epsom bath, etc... before calling it a day.
Around 3:45 am the synchronized alarms were blaring and we were both up and at 'em... and immediately realized that it was STILL raining from last night. Maybe it would pass? We did our thing, got ready and I noticed my knee was twinging... hmmm not good... so I iced it and did some more stretching before we headed over to the spot... amidst even more rain and lightning. You know where this is headed right? I.don't.run.in.the.rain.
There were fewer peeps there than normal and everyone was wondering to run or not to run... I headed over to the Sevy to hit up the friendly law enforcement boys to see if they'd check the radar for us... Diagnosis: RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. That was all I needed, I promptly informed the crew I was out. They on the other hand decided that at the very least they'd try to get in an out and back. So B and I headed back to Compton and hit up the gym for 30 minutes before promptly nestling back into bed.
After our glorious little nap we headed over to Panera to meet back up with the peeps... a few had stopped amidst the storm but the rest of the hardcore crew trudged all 22 miles they had on board!!! I felt like I should bow in their presence or at the very least give them a round of applause. Everyone gave me as much crap as they could for not sticking it out but I still stand by my decision that I would've been miserable.
After breakfast I headed back to O-town in a torrential downpour and hopped on the weather website as soon as I arrived home. There was about a 3 hour window starting just then that there would be little to no rain before we got flooded again so I quickly changed and headed over to Cady Way. Now I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box so the fact that I overlooked the other implementing weather conditions of the hours in question or the obvious fact that I live in FLORIDA aka the Sunshine State is classic. When I started my run at 2pm it was sunny skies and 88 degrees... by the time I hit the park around mile 4 I was severely overheated, my knee was buckling and I was starting to see stars. Bravo Morgan, Bravo. Here's your sign. After I regained my composure and refilled my handheld that had long been empty I headed back to my car... cursing my stupidity, the heat, my knee and another failed attempt.
The rest of the night I wallowed around in self pity, being a very grumpy roommate indeed. I made plans to attempt the run again in the morning with Lazy Runner and hit the hay early once again... It was a long night, my knee was aching, I kept waking up drenched in sweat, the Blonde and her boyfriend stumbled home around 2am being loud as f*ck and when my alarm finally went off I hit dismiss instead of snooze and overslept til LR called at 4am. This is not the way to start out a run... while I went through the motions of getting ready my knee continued to ache and ache and by the time LR got there I was far from ready and my spirits were crap. I'm pretty sure he didn't know what to think because he made the comment "I've never seen you like this before a run."
The route I mapped out started at my place, hit downtown, around through Winter Park, Baldwin Park and then back... with plenty of chances to call it quits if one of us wasn't feeling it. (LR is still not 100% from his ITB issues) So we headed out and immediately I'm in excruciating pain. My form is jacked, I'm choking back moans of pain with each step and LR... well LR just finished his coffee and was chanting "Let's go Morgan, Let's GO!!!" I kinda wanted to choke him.
We made it a whole block down the street before I had to stop and try to re-adjust/stretch.. all the while he's playing with the traffic light box and manages to turn the stop light into flashing lights... "Um... run Morgan, time to run, let's go..." Nice. I get maybe a half a block before my knee buckles and I am down on all fours. This wasn't happening. Defeated, in pain, and trying my d@mndest not to cry in front of LR we limp back to my place. We must have looked pretty pathetic because a taxi going the opposite way swung around and asked us if we needed a lift.
When we got back to my place LR demanded Tiger Balm and for me to lay down on the floor where he proceeded to give me the most painful IT band massage EVER. (Let me just say that I had hoped for a far better story to share with ya'll about a guy massaging my leg after months of celibacy but this was def not the case...) Dr. LR confirmed that my IT Band was beyond tight and that I needed to take it easy. So with my leg in euphoric numbness I headed back to bed.
As I sit here now recapping the epic FAIL that was, I wonder if I had just put my big girl pants on and ran in the rain yesterday if I would have made it or not... or if the knee would've gave out like it did this morning and I would've been the worse for the wear, especially with all the puddles and such they said they ran through... but wondering "what if" isn't going to do me a d@mn bit of good. So I'm just going to take it easy today, foam roll, soak in another epsom bath, stretch, stretch and more stretch and hope for the best. This is the first time I have ever missed a long run and I still have 2 more before taper. I also know I have a solid base so I'm trying not to let Negative Nancy get the best of me.
4 weeks til Chicago! I KNOW I've still got this.
30 comments:
Rain and pain not a great combo.. There is a reason for everything...maybe someday you will figure out the reason for the 20 miler that wasn't.. Hang in there little lady!
I'm so sorry... But on the other hand, you have youth (did I just use the word "youth" to describe a 20 something.. God I must be getting really old) on your side and I know you will recover in record time. Also, you have been cranking out the good stuff lately. That's got to count for something right?
Haha... my word this week is "halla" which is kind of like HOLLA.. so I will.
Look out Chicago because Morgan is gonna rock you!
I'm sorry it didn't work out for a run. At least you tried. You are still ready for the marathon.
Something about this weekend made 20 miles just so hard to get done!
I am sure though that you are ready for Chicago...and missing one run won't hurt. Good luck with ITB!
Ahh hun I'm so sorry!! That sounds miserable. The rain sounds like it was mother nature's way of preventing a crippling, permanent injury. I think it kept you from hurting yourself further.
Get some rest, maybe see the physical therapist again? Try not to get too down on yourself!
Seems to me you really tried to make this happen...sometimes runs just aren't gonna happen that day. Take it easy on yourself and better luck next time..
I'm sorry you had such a rough weekend of running/not-running. Try not to let it get you down, you've still got your other long runs. I hope that ITB feels better!
I think you made a good effort to get your run in despite all the odds against you. I've only done a long run once in the rain. A visor and a garbage bag are a must. But it sounded more like a downpour where you were.
Hey Morgan! I found your blog through B.o.B's blog. I have had one of these weekends before, and I totally know how mentally defeating it can be. The only thing to do is just pick up where you left off next weekend. Sounds like your knee had other plans anyway! I hope it stretches out and starts to feel better ASAP!
Hey. I'm sorry about your run and your IT band issues. That sucks. I just had a crap shit 14 miler that I would like to forget. Sometimes we just have to move on and realize that all of our runs can't be good and effortless, otherwise everyone would be running!
You are going to rock Chicago girl; just you wait.
Morgan,
This is a message from your "Turtle Mom" - listen to your body and keep your spirit lifted. With age comes wisdom & experience. THIS is one of THOSE times...
Ask yourself: What am I supposed to learn from this? Then, stop and listen. You WILL be ready to ROCK Chi-town! :) But don't sell yourself short and cry over this crappy weekend.
Let it go.
Hugs,
"Mom"
one run isn't going to make or break you. Shake it off and move forward. :-)
OF course you've still got this!
Sorry to hear the weekend didn't go as planned. Totally understand being bummed, but STAY POSITIVE!
Oh love...some runs are like that. 14 was great for me, but then 16v sucked, and yesterday I rocked 18. You just never know. Be careful of your knee...that makes me nervous. Maybe try to run easy this week, and stay on soft ground until it gets better. Rest will help too. I totally agree with you, you totally have this. You will OWN Chicago!!! Hope you feel better soon!!!
Sorry about the run; you were right to listen to your body; you've still got time and lots fo training behind you!
You've got this Morgan! YOu did a good thing today listening to your body!!
hope it works out OK - I have a somewhat similar situation - #7 coming in 3 weeks and severe ITB pain (can barely walk today). From what I've read you've got enough training to rock in Chicago! Just give yourself a chance to rest it before the race. Good luck!
ARGH! You DO have this. The rain sucked this weekend, yes. I did my 4 mile taper on the treadmill because I wasn't going to get my shoes wet, either. I also agree that you did a good thing, listening to your body.
Found a knee brace that I just ordered:
http://www.amazon.com/MUELLER-Hg80-Hinged-Knee-Brace/dp/B000V1OD7O
It came with excellent recommendations (and looks like it received great comments).
RICE, girl. And, don't sweat it. You've got this. You do.
It's OK!!! You still have 4 weeks. I've been sick with a flu for the past 8 days and exercised for the first time today. I had to take lots of walking breaks, but I know that I still have 4 weeks to fully recover and get a few long runs in. It's all going to work out. We need to just give a break to our bodies sometime. :)
Yes! You need to rest and take care of yourself. Listen to your body.
And while it was an "epic FAIL" (as you say), it did make for a darn good story!
well, if there's a long run to miss this i would think has the best timing? you've logged a lot of miles over the past couple of months, this is the homestretch. skipping this long run won't ruin chicago. your it band has plenty of time to be pampered, and i'm sure you'll still get in some medium-long runs over the next couple of weeks. sorry to hear that it was bothering you so bad though, no ache/pain is good. can't say i'm sorry things didn't advance with lr... he'd probably wait to make a move in the middle of the woods where there are bugs and snakes.
no negative nancy. keep your eyes on a great chicago experience!
Boo, on the rain and pain. There is always next time though. Hey, you did work out..I know I wouldn't have hit the gym. you go girlie.
You had a sucky weekend! Lamenting on it doesn't make you negative it makes you human! You'll bounce back and you WILL be great!
Man, that is a major bummer! Keep fighting off Negative Nancy! She can't get you down! You will be fine!
Sorry to hear about your FAIL. It didn't rain a drop over hear this weekend. It kept looking like it was going to rain with no sunshine, but nothing. The positive thing is you tried and there's something to be said for that! Negative Nancy would have never left the house.
I wouldn't worry about missing this long run. You have logged plenty of miles. Now the goal is to maintain and get to the start line healthy.
You've totally got this! Sometimes bad runs and bad weather happens...you've got a great running base with hills and speed...you are going to do AMAZING come October 11th!! In the next few weeks, just try to avoid mental and physical burnout and look at Saturday's little snafu as a much needed mini-vacay from running (that came with a much needed IT band massage...oh the pain and the glory!) ;)
I would NOT be worried about missing this run, you've gotten at least 1 (maybe 2? I forget) SUCCESSFUL 20 milers under your belt and at least another 18 as well. Let the IT Band feel better and you will be back on track no problem.
You don't even need to fret about the run, sometimes they just don't happen. Just believe me, running is way better than walking. Holy F. :) Oh well, you got in a lot of great runs and they will provide you with more than enough experience!
You've still got a LOT of good runs behind you, and many more ahead. this is just ONE - and you've learned from it so ...moving on! :)
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