Folders |
Time to feel fresh again
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Sometimes racing doesn't go as planned. Sometimes, it can be downright bad. That sums up my 2014 racing. Brighton Marathon training really is where my 2014 training started up. I was running solid workouts and was doing them comfortably. Everything was great until I got sick the day I boarded the plane for the race. The next 9 hours in flight did me no favors. I raced AWEFULLY! It was one of those days where nothing was in the cards for me. I had a sinus infection, ear infection, and upper respiratory infection on race day that took a bout of antibiotics for my body to recover from. It was my first time to a doctor in 7 years. After New Haven, I contemplated pulling out of Chicago. My training was inconsistent from mid-July on, since moving from Boulder to Colorado Springs. That move added another 1,000ft of altitude and worlds more hills to my training. Not only that, but my consistent loops and training partners weren't here either. It was a shock to my body and my pattern just when I didn't need anything else working against me. I told myself that if I could hit 2 weeks worth of workouts after New Haven, I'd just stay the course. Just then, training turned around completely. I started figuring out loops to run, people to run with, and how much more I'd need to adjust paces to keep efforts consistent at 6200ft versus 5200ft. I've spent my time now being humbled. It's time to make the adjustments to my training that I should have 4 months ago when I first moved to Colorado Springs. I'm not letting my Garmin control as much of my training as I am letting my breathing and my legs control. I probably won't race until Houston half in January, at least not more than just locally. I finally took the break after Chicago that my body needed after Brighton...or even after Twin Cities last fall! Sometimes, a break from everything brings the mind to total clarity. For the first time in almost a year, I feel really excited every day when I run. I missed this and I hope I don't lose it again. From here, I can only expect that the positive energy I feel again will translate into results. Like anything else in life, there's no guarantee. At least now running is fun again, the way it should have always been. |