Jenny Shenny (one of my very best friends, who is truly an inspiration, and funny as hell)
Jamoosh (who was looking strong and focused)
Neeraj (who I completely missed on the course, probably because he ran so fast he was blurry)
Evan (who I FINALLY got to meet in person!)
Karen (who is back from Abu Dhabi, for a while)
Bob (who was surrounded by ladies and having a great time)
Pattie (who wasn't feeling well but persevered)
Dennis (who has like 17 jobs, so I'm not sure he reads this anymore)
Doug (who looked like he was having a solid run)
Felix (who is a stud runner period. I hope he reads my blog, maybe??)
I really enjoyed cheering everyone on! At first it was tough to be on the sidelines, but then I realized what a great experience watching a race is. I was filled with a sense of pride, not only for my friends and running buddies, but for everyone who made the decision and commitment to run. As I watched runners in all shapes, sizes, ages and speeds pass me, I wondered what motivated each one and what their stories were. I'm sure there were some of the following:
- first timers
- those trying to lose weight
- those who have lost alot of weight
- those who just had a baby, or are expecting and don't know it yet
- those who are recovering alcohlics/drug users
- those who were running with a hangover
- those who are smokers or those trying to or have quit
- those who have no support from family or friends (this breaks my heart)
- those who had every member of their family cheering them on
- those who are new grandparents
- those who just lost a loved one
- those who have recovered from a serious injury
- those who have cancer or are survivors
- those who are getting married
- those who are getting divorced
- those who lost their job
- those who landed the job of their dreams
- those who are physically/mentally abused, or are doing the abusing
- those who have murdered someone and dumped them in the woods
Marathon recovery: I will admit, running as well as I did in Chicago made me feel invincible. That's probably why I did not use any sense whatsoever in my post-marathon recovery, and now I'm paying the price. Truth is, I'm just a pretty decent runner who had a really great marathon, nothing more, nothing less. If I had had my wits about me, I would never have attempted the 8 mile run I did last week and the 12 mile run I did yesterday, especially given the cramping I experienced during the marathon and the long time it took for soreness to subside.
When I ran 8 miles last week, I was sore, but I chalked it up to lingering aches from the race and thought that I just needed to warm up my muscles and get them going again. I don't think there is anything wrong with that plan, maybe I should have just done 6 miles, but what I did and did not do next has caused more problems than I started with.
This past week, I did nothing...no cross-training, no running. That is mostly because my grandmother passed, her funeral was Monday, I was still not feeling 100%, and I was emotional and tired. So what do I do? I decide that its okay for me to run an easy 12 miles on Saturday. Big mistake. I don't care who you are, there is nothing "easy" about 12 miles. But hey, I'm a Boston qualifier, I can do anything. Yeah, not so much. Hello reality.
The weather was nice and cold, by Houston standards, for the run on Saturday. But as soon as we started, both of my Achilles started to hurt as did my left glute. I thought I could run through it, but by the time I stopped at the rest stop around mile 6-7, the pain in those areas had not ceased or eased up. It may have been worse. However, I was determined to make it back to the start using a few shortcuts to cut my mileage. My motivation? The fact that I had not really worked out much and have been eating like a pig, and I wanted to burn as many calories as possible. Well, after the run, I was in bad shape...it hurt to walk (Achilles) and it felt like I had been shot in the butt. By the end of the day, my knee hurt, my hamstring was ridiculously tight, and my IT band was bothering me. Fabulous. Because I ran hurt, I ended up injuring other areas of my leg, most likely because I was compensating for what hurt during my run.
I immediately decided that I would take two solid weeks off of running. It is not worth aggravating nagging injuries and/or injuring myself further. I have too much to look forward to. I'm mad at myself, because really, I knew better. I'm experienced enough to know that for me, I need a really solid recovery period after a marathon. But now I will use the elliptical, get massage therapy, and am entertaining some physical therapy. My biggest fears are Achilles tendonitis and a prolonged IT band problem. I hope its not too late to play it safe and smart...
Moral of the story: Do as I say, not as I do...
Oh yeah... How about those AGGIES!!!! WHOOP!!!!! Last time we beat Tech in Lubbock, I was a senior in College. Trust me, that was quite a while ago. And for the record, we didn't just beat Tech, we kicked their asses.
8 comments:
Thanksfor being out there babe! You have earned your spot on the November wall of Fame!
Being a spectator is awesome! Sometimes I think that is my calling, not racing! See you in Boston and congrats!
Thanks SO much for being there for me!! And when I took time out from my important half-marathon to warn you about OCD/running as it pertains to injury, I had NO IDEA that you had done what you wrote in this topic!! So KNOCK IT OFF and be smart...go swimming at the gym!
Evan :)
Hi Carolyn,
Sigh...to hear that your recovery is not coming along as your planned.
I think taking 2 weeks off from running and doing some cross training is right thing to do.
Best wishes for your planned recovery and "Massage therapy" sounds good.
I spent this past weekend being a spectator and volunteer and it was great!I'm glad you posted about post-race recovery, because it helps me keep my own recovery in prespective. This weekend is my marathon and I am already thinking about the one I want to do in March! The people I train with are the types that can turn around and do another race a few weeks later, so it is tempting to try to do the same! I typically need longer recovery than they do, and it's not worth it to me anymore, to hurt myself trying to keep up! Sometimes resting is the most productive thing you can do for yourself!
I have actually run two marathons one month apart, and three marathons in four months, and didn't have any issues. I would run a couple of times during the week, and my long runs would be 6-8 miles in between marathons. It is doable, but I don't plan on doing that again anytime soon! I have a friend who ran Chicago and Marine Corps this year. And another friend BQ'd in Chicago too and ran the half I was cheering at. Everyone is different in their recovery, and it gets frustrating when you don't recover as quickly as others (speaking from current experience!). Stick with what works for you...you are not going to lose much of your training by taking ample time off to recover. Once a marathon is done, I consider it a long training run, recover, and eventually get my mileage back up. This time however I wasn't considering the absolute beating my body took in Chicago. Does that make sense? I just spent the entire day in intense meetings and my brain is about fried :)
Thanks for commenting on my blog and yes I just found my name this morning under the entrant list for Boston! Whohoo!
Lol....I only ran with that group for a short bit. They were lively though, so it was a nice distraction. I know this is late, but I am finally catching up on some blogs. Thanks for being out there and cheering us on! That makes a big difference.
Bob.
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