Carmel Recovery Week

Carmel Recovery Week

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I told myself, if I had a successful marathon, I would take an extended break from running. My version of an extended break is historically 5 days of no running. There is no rhyme or reason to this number...it's just my number. I realized I hadn't taken a running break since giving birth to Ruthie (when I was forced to take a break for a few days!). To continue with my theme of showing myself some grace, I thought I'd be kind to my body and take a few days off.

March miles.

• 4/1: 3 walking miles, 14:57/mile. Coach put this post marathon walk on my calendar, but I wasn't sure if I could physically make it happen when I woke up that morning. I generally felt ok, but my right calf was so freaking tight. By the end of the day, I felt tons better and was able to walk with Sophie.
• 4/2: REST. This was a very intentional rest day. I returned to work and had a fairly busy day. I didn't even have the desire to workout!
  

  

  Gift from the bestie.

• 4/3: Work is super slow, overall, and I had no patients to see today. I had grand plans to clean the house and try to catch a lift session at The Y. My body had other plans. I woke up feeling horribly nauseous. I did my best to help my husband get the kids ready. In the middle of the action, I suddenly had to go to the bathroom. TMI: When I pooped, it sounded like I was peeing. I was pooping liquid. It was disgusting. Unfortunately, I had to go to my PCP to give blood for my yearly physical. I'm still not sure how I made it there safely...and without crapping my pants. When I got back home, I went straight to bed and fell asleep for three more hours. This day consisted of lots of pooping and laying down. It was awful. Also unfortunately, the hubs had to work late and I was a solo parent for a little bit. I had to get off of my stinky ass and drive to Hilliard to pick up the kids. Praise the Lord they were fairly well behaved until daddy got home. I was starting to feel better and was able to do some of my chores before bed.
  

  

  A quote that captured my attention this week.

• 4/4: 2.5 cycling miles, 15:22; Bis/Tris, 45 minutes. I went into this assuming it would feel like crap. I had some left over fatigue from being sick and running that race. I was so freaking slow on the bike! It was hilariously entertaining at the time. I followed that up with a kick ass bis and tris workout. I had to cut my weight just a bit because my body was tired. It felt good to be back at the gym for some lifting.
• 4/5: 3.12 walking miles, 14:23/mile; Shoulder workout, 45 minutes. I attempted to make myself sore with a good old fashioned shoulder workout. Later that evening, I took Soph for a walk to map out a route for my "Miles and Mimosas" event.
  

  

  Another gift from another close friend.

• 4/6: 4 miles, 10:23/mile. I met up with Katie, Meg, and Asia for a short run to see if my legs still work. There's definitely some fatigue, but no aches or pains!
  

  

  Friday crew minus Katie. [ME, Asia, Meg]

• 4/7: 6.06 miles, 9:44/mile; Chest/Back, 1 hour. I had my "Miles and Mimosas" event this morning. Some friends and I went on a little run followed by mimosas, coffee and snacks. It was a great time chatting it up while inside a warm house.
  

  

  Thing 1 and Thing 2.

• 4/8: 10.07 miles, 9:05/mile. We're calling this my long run for the week. It's usually the most I'll do the week after a marathon. I was pretty happy with how I felt, and I'm really excited for more recovery miles this week.
  

  

  Love these people! [Chris, ME, Sarah, Britt]

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I want to give a HUGE shout out to some of my speedy friends. Many of them did the Choo Choo 9 miler or the Xenia Marathon and Half Marathon. Goals were met and new PRs were made. From Boston qualifiers to NYC qualifiers!! Most importantly, many of my friends made breakthroughs in their mental game. What an awesome weekend for racing!!

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Recent Boston Marathon cut-offs.

A lot has been on my mind since the race. Meeting my BQ goal doesn't feel like I thought it would feel. I thought for sure I'd be on cloud nine for DAYS. I woke up the day after my race and didn't feel any more awesome than I did when I started the race! LOL. Isn't that weird?! I mean, we have these goals and spend all of this time and hard work to obtain them. When we actually meet the goal, it feels good in the moment, but then you just move on. All I can think about is what my next goal might be.

Also, as I mentioned in my last post, my husband encouraged me to increase my BQ cushion to ensure that I make it to the Boston starting line. The thought never crossed my mind. In my head, I was happy with my result despite the possibility of not making it to the race. His persistence with the idea really had me thinking. Do I want to try again before September? If so, when? where? Would I be able to pull off another good marathon this year? UGH. Too many unknowns. I spoke with Amanda and Coach Zach to get some perspectives from experienced runners.

Sometimes we think too much.

These were the options we came up with (based on the fact that I didn't want to race Flying Pig which I am registered for):

-Find an event in late May/early June to race...a pro being that I could carry that momentum and good training through to another good race...a con being potential burnout. Also, do I really think I can improve my time significantly in order to increase my chances of making it to Boston?

-Pick one of the last minute/last chance marathons the weekend before Boston registration. My two options being Erie and Grand Rapids. Pro: It would allow for mental and physical recovery after Carmel and Pig. Con: Loss of mojo, pressure of making it happen.

-Just say "F it!," hope for the best, and plan a fall marathon.

I immediately eliminated option three because I like the idea of doing a marathon just before the fall so that I can possibly focus on doing a half marathon. After four days of weighing my options, I also eliminated option one. I clearly remember experiencing burnout last year. I ran the Little Rock marathon followed by the Carmel marathon. I then had a 50k planned. I ended up skipping out on the 50k because my heart wasn't in completing the distance. I JUST DIDN'T WANNA! I am so fearful that the same would happen if I decided to run another marathon after Pig.

That leaves option two. Although I have not committed, this is what I'm leaning towards. Not only will it allow for recovery, it will give me my third marathon of the year (one of my fitness goals) and allow me to potentially race a half in the fall (which I haven't done in three years).

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Anyway, the mind of a runner is unique. No matter what I decide, I'm ready to experience the journey and all of its ups and downs.