Running on Faith

You can have training plans piled 4 feet high.  You can pay 15 coaches to advise you every day.  You can be permanently wired to every time of heart rate monitor, respiration monitor and even a rectal thermometer.  But if you don’t listen to what your body is telling you, you can get in trouble.

I am famous for getting a training plan and following it no matter what.  And that has probably lead to most of the overuse injuries I have had in the past 5 years.  Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, etc. have all plagued me at some point during my training.  I will follow the plan no matter how much it hurts or how bad I am hurt.  And some how I have finished every race I have started.

The particular plan I am on now is not for sissies.  It is demanding on my time, sweat and muscles.  But I am seeing some progress, so it has been worth it.  But the coach who created the plan said the number one goal was to get to race day healthy.  And if I have to move workouts around then so be it.

Last week my body talked to me.  There were a lot of four letter words used and none of them were “love”, “easy”, or “good.”  To say that my legs were unhappy with me would be an understatement.  So unlike most politicians these days, I actually stopped and listened to what my body had to say.  And then I gave it some rest.  I stopped the workout.

On Saturday, Hardcore and I ran the Middendorf 10 mile race.  You can read the race report here.  This time I told my body what I wanted, and it did its best to deliver.  Of course, it also let me know that the price was going to be high.  That price involved me hobbling around the house Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday as well.  Something in my lower left leg is not happy at all.

Today was going to be a Goldilocks workout: not too hard, not too easy, but just right.  I headed out trying to dodge rain drops knowing that a monsoon with some hellacious thunderstorms were heading my.  After two miles, my body told me there was still a balance due on the bill from Saturday’s race.  Fine.  I guess you want a tip too?  So with the looming hurricane, I decided to switch tomorrow’s recovery workout to today, and do this workout tomorrow.  It may make things complicated later in the week, but it was the wise thing to do.

Hold one minute please…….Okay.  My body just told me that I stink and need to go take a shower.  Hopefully it will be less vocal during tomorrow’s run.

I am Timbeaux, hear me roar!  Actually I think the song said woman, but I am not a woman so I changed it.  You may have noticed a trend amongst the posters of this blog that are kind of touchy feely: puppy dogs, squirrels playing, birds chirping, pink thongs.  Actually I think there was something else in that post like a birthday or something, but all I remember is the pink thong.  If you are expecting more touchy feely, stop reading.  I am sure I will get into that mode later when I really get into the fundraising for St. Jude.  It is difficult not to break down and cry when reading about those children.  But for now, I have a steep bill to pay.

Through my own choice, I have decided to try to qualify for Boston at the St. Jude Marathon.  And with that choice comes a bill that can only be settled with blood, sweat and tears.  So for the time being, there will be no time to stop and smell the roses.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have seen first hand how hard Christine and Marcelo have worked for their running.  They have each shed plenty of sweat and tears.  And if you had been fortunate enough to be along side Christine like I was last year for the marathon, you know she paid her bill in full.  And then some.

But right now, they can take time to enjoy their runs and the environment around them.  I, on the other hand, am constantly fighting the urge to stop or slow down.  But I can’t.  I have to push and find some speed somewhere even if it hurts.  And that is why I adopted the pain don’t hurt mentality (see my other blog).

I ran a 10K this afternoon at home.  It was warm/hot and I was exhausted from sleeping very little last night.  As usual, I started off a little too slow and then pushed.  Every time I hit a U-turn, I wanted to stop and walk.  Every time I got thirsty, I wanted to stop, walk and take a drink.  Every time I felt like I was pushing too hard, I wanted to ease up and catch my breath.  But I never walked.  I drank while I ran which caused me to bust my lip on the water bottle.  And I finished my 10K at about a 7:47 minutes per mile pace.

What does that pace mean in the grand scheme of things?  It is about 9 seconds slower than the pace I will have to run the entire 26.2 miles in December.  It means I am not even close yet.  But it also means I am getting better.

So send me some motivation.  Click the link on the top right corner of the website that says, “Donate Now St. Jude Children’s Hospital” and make a donation.  The next time I run, your name will pop in my head when I am struggling and that may make a difference in my run.  Just like it would make a difference to the children at St. Judes.