This summer
I have also been battling a foot injury, and so my running has dropped from 6-7
days/week of running to only 2-3 days.
My weekly mileage has dropped from around 30 to quite often, single
digit weeks. My longest run of the week
is only 4-5 miles, when it would otherwise be 7-9 miles.
Mentally,
in the beginning, it was tough to accept this.
I felt lazy, out of shape, and had a hard time adjusting and accepting
so much recovery time. Now, I feel like
I have fully embraced it. It’s still
tough to accept such low mileage, but I love the extra time that I get chilling
with my kids, or having extra days off to just hang out with the hubby or get
things done around the house. Being on
the verge of the approaching high school volleyball season, I definitely need
the time to just get stuff done at home.
Physically,
it was tough in the beginning in figuring out how much I could still handle
without making things worse. Some days
my foot hurts when I walk, and then others I can make it through 3 miles
without it really bothering me. I’m
learning that I’d rather risk doing less and ending up underprepared for a
race, than to push it over the line and have a full blown injury that leaves me
in a boot, unable to run at all. With
running so much less, I also feel like I am better recovered for my next
workout as a result.
My run
split from Graniteman this year versus last year was within seconds of one
another. Some days I feel “off” and
slow, and other days I feel good when I do run.
With Nationals being only one week away, I know that my chances of
making podium have greatly diminished.
That’s just the reality of what my training shows of where I’m at. But I’m also okay with that, because I feel
so much more balanced and happier this year, less dependent upon race results
to show me my worth, and enjoying more downtime with the family. I never would have scaled back my running
without having been forced to, and so while I know I need to continue to be
careful as I monitor my foot, I can also accept that the injury and setback has
turned into a blessing for me.
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