Sunday 3 March 2013

Blog #8 January injury struggles, visit to Campbell, and getting ready for spring races

It's been a while since I have blogged, and well...that's because its been a while since I've raced, and not too much exciting has happened since then. In my last post, I mentioned how I recently ran boxing day 10 miler, but was feeling a bit sore and needed to take a few days off. It turned out being a few weeks, as I had a strange pain on the top of my foot that wouldn't go away. When I thought it was healed, I started running again, but after a few days, the pain started to creep back again, so I had to go back to the elliptical. Then a few days it would get better, so I started running again, but then the after a few days of running, the same pain again! Very frustrating. I was getting very anxious to get some mileage and quality training in, since it was late January, and only two months until Around the Bay, which I really wanted to do again At that time, it was looking like I would need to see a quick improvement in my foot really soon if that was going to happen. I prayed about it, asking for healing if it is His will, and wisdom and the right perspective if I were to go through yet another setback. It was around that time when my physiotherapist suggested I get some orthotics to put in between my toes in order to help me toe off properly. Thank God, they seemed to make a big difference! In the next few weeks I was able to build up my mileage from 60-80-90-100, and started to get some tempo workouts in. It's kind of funny, even a mathematically minded runner like me will run past my house for a quick out and back at the end of my long run with the erroneous  belief that 100 mile week is SO much better than a 99 mile week.

But anyways, after the 100 mile week, I was 5 weeks away from the 30k, and heading to North Carolina since we had the week off for reading week. My 3 reasons for going there in no particular order:
1) I still have former teammates that I'm pretty good friends with back in Campbell University, who are still on the team now.
2) I have a flight voucher from last altitude camp trip because I gave up my seat on an overnight flight for a day flight the next day. Got to sleep in a free hotel, and got meal money along with the voucher instead of having to try to sleep on the plane that night! What a deal! Anyways, that voucher expires in the summer, so I might as well use it now
3) I'm sick of this weather. It's not that I hate the cold. I'm known for under dressing in cold weather, and cold weather (to a certain extent) doesn't bother me that much.  What I hate is trying to run on snow and ice. It makes it difficult to get quality training in, and increases the risk of injury. Last winter was unusually mild, but this winter I missed the NC weather a bit more. It was nice to get away for that for a week. It was even shirts off weather for my long run! Very nice!

Anyways, the trip there was a nice relaxing break. A bit nostalgic, but I'm a bit of a nostalgic person, so it's all right. I even got to go as a volunteer at their Big South Conference meet that weekend. It turns out some freshman guy who was signed up to volunteer decided to bail out a few days before the trip. Lucky me! I got to take his place! and his hotel room! and his meal money! I felt like I was on the team again! I definitely enjoyed watching some of my former teammates compete. Their new coach has them running really well. It was nice seeing people I hadn't seen in a while. It could be the last time I visit down there, but who knows.

So now I have three weeks until the 30k, and I also plan on doing Yonge Street 10k which is 4 weeks after ATB. (hopefully without messing my back like last year) It's time to start getting mentally prepared for that 30k, as Lord willing I won't have any major injury issues in the next few weeks and I will be able to approach the start line with confidence like last year. I'm not going to put any pressure on myself to duplicate or improve on last year's performance, all though that would be really nice if I could. I haven't really looked at what the competition will be like this year, but I've decided not to worry about that until race day. I should be able to run with the front pack, unless somebody goes out really aggressively, in which case it may be wise to drop back a bit. But whatever the weather, and whatever the competition, I'll trust the Lord to give me strength and wisdom that I need.

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