In one of my earlier blog posts I wrote about my curse with cars...and yesterday the curse struck again. I was driving home from a run and really wanting an ice cream cone. I happened to look down and see that the temperature gauge was registering the temp as past Hot. So, I aborted my plans (temporarily) and pulled the car off the main drag and into a parking spot. I called my husband, who asked me some questions and then told me to go ahead a drive it home and we would deal with it later. So, I decided that meant I could also get my ice cream cone but would do something quick and one the way home instead. So, I turned into the McDonald's drive-thru and my car started making really funny noises. So, I pulled up to the order window, ordered my cone and then turned the car off so it would cool down while I waited. I made it home thankfully with my ice cream cone (!!!) and was able to drive it to the mechanic this morning. He discovered a melted radiator cap (I saw him discover it, very interesting) and a non-functioning radiator, interesting, since the day before it worked! The mechanic worked his magic and presto 4 hours later and only $58 spent my car is ready for me to pick up! I realized after hanging up with him that like my car needs a good, reliable magician (errrr, I mean mechanic) I need one too.
My marathon build up has had some pretty rocky patches especially considering I am usually very consistent and healthy. But this build up has been plagued with illnesses and now injuries. A couple of weeks ago I was running a short, anaerobic type workout to propel my body into a half marathon and I hurt my hamstring. What should have been a few days easy has turned into 2 weeks of frustration and inconsistent training. The hamstring itself healed quickly, it was a pretty minor strain, but then the muscle kept feeling the need to protect itself and so the muscle was TIGHT! I couldn't hobble faster than 9 min pace and it was getting to me mentally. But my team of magicians pulled through and today I ran an hour with no pain, no tightness and at a normal pace of 7:30s and just 4 days ago I ran 15 mins at 9:20 pace. I worked with my physical therapist to correct a slight mechanics issue that likely lead to the injury; my massage therapist who helped relax the muscle, stretch it out and get rid of all the other gunk in there; my coach who had to wade through the endless emails and figure out the best approach with training, and finally my husband who kept reminding me that using a shovel to work on my vegetable garden probably wasn't the best way to help heal the hamstring. But with everyone's help I think I am back and hopefully will be running strong soon. As far as the marathon goes, I have lost 3 weeks of training to a cold/flu and the hamstring injury. Those 3 weeks were right in the most important part of the cycle--when I would be doing miles and some pretty challenging endurance style workouts.
Now with 4 1/2 weeks left, I am feeling unsure whether I should toe the line for this race or if I should figure out a new plan that will allow me to continue building some fitness, get comfortable racing and propel me into a fall marathon. I'll keep ya posted!
Boulder Running Company/adidas Race Team Blog
