End of Week 16 Dumbo Double Dare Training

Oh geez...week 16 of training done! That means we are in week 17 now and week 18 is the race! GAH!!! That's NEXT WEEK!!! It's almost here! It's almost here!!! Disneyland NEXT WEEK!!! ::jumping up and down, clapping excitedly::

I'm not scared about running the races anymore now. I'm mostly excited. I have been working on my running and my training has been moving along. I can't be mad or down on myself for not being at the point of health I wanted to be for this race because SO MUCH has been going on with my physical therapy. So much change and improvement has been happening that I couldn't POSSIBLY be completely ready for this race weekend. That being said, I will be able to run, have fun and work on recovering better after each race.

So let's get to the training recap!

Tuesday: 30 minute run
Saturday: 9 mile run


So Tuesdays run was on the heels of a PT appointment the day before where I left feeling like a bowl of jelly. Some really tough core work and hip stabilization exercises, it was a hard workout and it hurt so good. The next day was my short run and my PT advised I should work on using a neutral shoe without insoles for my short runs and keep to my support shoes for my longer runs. Okay, so per her orders I  ran my short run in my Mizuno Wave Riders and hoped that it would all work out and my heels not hurt. Not only did my heels not hurt, but I had the best run I'd had in a long time! I just felt stronger. My core was engaged, my hips were feeling good and my legs were churning. It was the best I had felt in such a long time that all I could do was smile. I even emailed my PT to let her know about the great run and how thankful I am for the progress we've been making.

My time might not be getting better yet, but I feel stronger and that is the most important thing right now. Getting my body mechanics down and the strength in my core and hips solid is the main focus, everything else will fall into place once I have that all set.

Saturdays run had 9 miles scheduled. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. Even though I tried to think positively and tried not to psyche myself out about it, I still was and I knew it. Your mind is so powerful and can totally sink your run if you let it.

So that morning I got everything together and headed to my running location. It was a cool morning, still a bit warm, but not bad. As I was getting ready to head out I realized that I had forgotten my inhaler. Crap. Now some back story on that. I hadn't used an inhaler for years, it was only prescribed to me for "sports induced asthma", but it made me so jittery that I hated using it. So I stopped. By the time I started running, the prescription had run out on it so I never used it. A few months ago when I was at the doctors for a check-up, she suggested I started using it again. I may not "need" it (ie, have asthma attacks anymore), but it will help open up my lungs to help my runs feel a bit easier. After I started using it, I can feel a difference and I now use it before every run. It just helps my breathing and I feel like I get more air in my lungs now. So when I realized I didn't have my inhaler with me for my long run, I panicked a bit. :(

So I set out to get my mileage done, but my watch lost satellite coverage and I lost .75 mile and about 10 minutes worth of time right off the bat. Two strikes at the beginning of my run, the mental game was already getting to me. So I trudged along and tried to keep focused on running and fueling. I miscalculated my route somewhere and didn't go far enough for my out and back part so I was having to make up mileage at the end, it was a mess. Then at mile 6.5 my lungs went on strike. They said "since you decided to forget your inhaler and are working us like this, how about we stick it to you!" Like literally. I felt like I was being poked with a sharp stick in my chest whenever I would take a deep breath. So I had to call it, I was defeated at that point, time to start walking.

So I walked for the last 2.5 miles to get my 9 miles done and recorded. (Actually I had done 10 miles, but with my watch issues it didn't get recorded, stupid satellites!) 

So I did it, I got 9 miles done. It was a horrible time and I just felt so defeated with every attempt I made to do well. In the end I just had to brush it off and be proud of the 9 miles I had just accomplished, my longest mileage in a year! Though I wasn't as lucky this week as I was last week after my 7 mile run, my heels HURT so badly and my hips were impossibly stiff. I actually had to go home and take an icebath, it was bad. But I have to take the good with the bad because I am still working through it all, I am still getting strong and I will get back to my previous running form and surpass it! I just need to keep focused on the here and now and try to not think about the past, but prepare for the future! I can already see improvements, I can't stop now!

So that is my training for this week. Like I said above, we are already so close to the race weekend I can practically taste it! I am 9 days away from being at the Disneyland resort and getting ready for the races. Single digits people! Single digits! The weather for the day I arrive in Anaheim is already on the 10-day forecast!!! And it's looking like another scorcher of a weekend, but this time without all that damn humidity!! I keep thinking I have a ton of prep to do, but besides packing and making sure I have everything on my list, I'm ready for this race weekend! 

So not it's your turn: How is your training going?