choices

Time to fold ’em

October 30, 2014 by Michelle 22 Comments

“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run…”

This is not the training update I wanted to be writing…but, I’ve reached a decision – it is time for me to fold ’em on this training cycle. I have been giving everything I can to try to get through my training plan for Philly but the reality is you can either focus on getting 100% healthy or you can train – you can’t do both. Or at least I know I can not.

When I learned that I’m anemic I was relieved to have an answer to my energy woes. My first thought was “I still have time – just change the diet and I’ll be back on track.” The reality is for me this has not been a quick bounce back and yet I have continued to push my body – push the distances, push the speedwork. There have been some really solid workouts, but they’ve taken a toll on me later in the day. Honestly my comfort zone is 6 – 7 miles…after that things get really hard – like short-of-breath, headache-inducing hard.

Of course, I’m disappointed – Philly was a goal race in a year of very little racing. I’m not interested in going and struggling or worrying about how under-trained I am or if I’ll hold up on the course. Feeling healthy and strong again is so much more important – there will be other races (you should see what I’m planning for 2015!).

Once I made the decision and discussed it with J and Coach Bennett, I felt a great sense of relief. You see, the other thing that was happening is that running had stopped being my stress release – it had become something to stress about. Oh so no bueno! This is just one race — time to know when to walk away…this is not the time to run.

Have you ever walked away from a goal race?

Filed Under: choices, listening to your body, to race or not

Reassessing

November 13, 2013 by Michelle 15 Comments

I’m hanging up my half marathon training shoes for the rest of this year. There will be no half for me on December 8.

As you can imagine that is not an easy thing for me to see in print – not an easy decision, but it’s the right choice. While my foot is making progress, my attempt at returning to half marathon training has proven to be one step forward, two steps back. I may be able to kill my track workouts, but maintaining race pace on the unforgiving surface of pavement and roads is proving to be a different story – I can get 4 miles at best…clearly a problem when the goal is 13.1! And as I said to Coach Bennett during our last call, the one thing I am clear about is that I do not want to have to will myself through another race that my body isn’t prepared to handle. I’ve done that and know I don’t have the mental energy, nor desire to do it again.

So I may eye a couple of 5Ks before the year is over – after all I’ve only got 2 races left to complete the #13in2013 Challenge – but there will be no long distance races for me until next year.

Time to start building my 2014 race calendar!

Filed Under: #13in2013, choices, foot pain, half marathon training, injuries, listening to your body

Change in race plans

March 11, 2013 by Michelle 6 Comments

Black ice and an already tweaky knee quickly turned a 10 mile run in to 3 miles yesterday morning. I was lucky to not fall but the slide aggravated an already cranky left ITB/knee. I was only a mile and a half into my run when it happened and this little voice in my head said don’t push it…go home. Usually I’m fairly stubborn and would have kept going, but this time I think I made the right call.

I have been quietly agonizing for the last couple of days over the question of whether or not to run the New Bedford Half next Sunday. That same little voice I heard out on the road today is the same voice that has been getting increasingly louder over the past two weeks questioning whether running New Bedford is a good idea. Despite it not being a goal race, the truth is I am not where I’d like to be going into a race – and slogging through a race just for the sake of saying I finished it sounds really unappealing! Nor do I think it makes sense to push this knee/ITB and jeopardize the rest of my spring races and beyond.

I had this race on my calendar for two reasons – as a check in to see where I am in my training and because it’s suppose to be a fun, well-run race. Well I think I have my answer to where I am right now and as I said, the fun will quickly be negated if I’m out there slogging along.

So after an email exchange with Coach Bennett I’ve decided I will not be toeing the line next weekend. Still hard for me to type that, but I know it’s the right choice.

Have you ever gone through with a race when you know you shouldn’t have?

Filed Under: choices, ITB, listening to your body, New Bedford Half, to race or not

The simple joy of a run

September 16, 2011 by Michelle 5 Comments

Earlier this week I had talked about making choices, and that first on my list for the week was to hit the target pace for each workout. A worthwhile goal right?

So I went to the track on Tuesday to face the intervals I dread the most…1600’s. As I ticked off each lap, pace math was making my head swim – I was obsessed with the numbers…but I did it, each interval was in fact below my target. I left the track, sweat-drenched and satisfied. Wednesday was a good strength training session and then came Thursday’s tempo run. I admit I can get a little psyched out over tempo runs, but I kept telling myself that the 1600 intervals I had run called for a faster pace than this run did…and besides the goal was to hit each target pace right? Wrong!

From the beginning I struggled through the run and, as the numbers on my Garmin didn’t come down, the level of my negative self-talk went up. Now yes, it was 75 degrees out and crazy humid but there was more going wrong here than just Mother Nature not cooperating. I slogged through and in the end only hit 1 mile where I wanted to, and as soon as the Garmin chimed for the 5th mile I did something I’ve never done before. I stopped my watch and walked the last quarter mile home. I was miserable and just wanted to be done! It wasn’t until I was whining about it to J last night that it hit me….I was so caught up in hitting the pace that I had completely sucked the joy out of the run. I had kept using phrases like “I have to…” that morning, like it was some chore I needed to check off my to do list. Not a good recipe for success.

This morning I was eager to get back out on the road – not necessarily for “redemption” but just to cut loose and enjoy a run. I debated wearing my Garmin, but did throw it on promising myself that no matter what number flashed at me that this was to be a run purely on feel. I just let go – I didn’t think about “have tos” or “must dos” I just ran for the simple joy of being out for a run on a perfect fall morning. Yes, I did glance at my Garmin once or twice, but I stuck to my promise to just go by feel. And, when I was done I felt recharged…and the nice bonus was I’d run a faster 4 miles then I have in awhile.

While training plans and target paces are all valuable to help reach whatever goal you’ve set, it is so important to not forget to just run for the simple joy of a run!

Happy Running!

Filed Under: choices, gift of running, goals

Monday Motivation – Week 5

September 12, 2011 by Michelle 7 Comments

“Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

— Aristotle

Week 4 was the first solid week of training for me and it was capped off with a fantastic 10 miler yesterday morning. I finished each workout feeling strong…instead of the “What the heck was that?!?” feeling of weeks 1 & 2.

So, it’s on the week 5 and I choose to …..

….hit all my target paces for each workout
….re-introduce my ITB to the foam roller
….do daily core work
….pay better attention to what I’m eating
….get more sleep so I’m not dragging my tail outta bed in the morning

….in addition to my runs, commit to doing yoga and strength training

So what choices will you make today?