Just when I thought I was in the clear and ready to get running again I did just that. I laced up, and out the door for a 2 mile run. That was 10 days ago and I am still experiencing pain associated with this ankle situation which has led me to a decisive plan... rest. no running for 3 more weeks. Just stop and wait it out.
This injury stems from Table Rock 50, where I completed 35+ miles. That is where the damage occurred, but is the result of poor training, bad diet, loss of focus and over ambitious idealized "goals"; basically thinking I could tough it out mentally. Seems there is a physical aspect to running for 7+ hours too.
In other words, to run well, you have to run, stupid (that's me).
Enter the Rungeon
In lieu of the actual running I am going back to basics. Training has been reduced to a boy and his stationary bike in the basement (aka The Rungeon). 10 minutes on the bike followed by 5 mins of lifting, cycling through muscle groups in rotation for an hour more or less. Sometimes I ride hard, fast, climb, recover...
Staring at basement heating ducts and dusty cement for an hour can be dull though. To alleviate this boredom I just tote along the laptop with earbuds and surf the youtubes and Pandora and go with the landscape in my ears. Actually, this game is sort of enjoyable as I "race" along matching tempo, climbs and surges with ultra video clips or visualize challenging sections of courses I have raced or trained on.
Progress NOT Perfection
The ankle is feeling better... but I am not trusting it quite yet. I would rather miss a few weeks of running now and be certain that I am healthy and ready to begin training again. So, I will strength train, get in the core work, find games to play on bikes to nowhere and reset the system to be healthy for a great 2012.
I feel the motivation returning following challenging workouts in The Rungeon. I dream of running up mountains and across creeks and through meadows and snow storms and downpours. I dream of running again in the heat of the summer and under layers in wind blown freezing blizzards, down slippery slopes and gliding across crunching white single track.
But for now... I ride in place through the soundscapes of the Rungeon and I am happy to be making progress.
This injury stems from Table Rock 50, where I completed 35+ miles. That is where the damage occurred, but is the result of poor training, bad diet, loss of focus and over ambitious idealized "goals"; basically thinking I could tough it out mentally. Seems there is a physical aspect to running for 7+ hours too.
In other words, to run well, you have to run, stupid (that's me).
Enter the Rungeon
In lieu of the actual running I am going back to basics. Training has been reduced to a boy and his stationary bike in the basement (aka The Rungeon). 10 minutes on the bike followed by 5 mins of lifting, cycling through muscle groups in rotation for an hour more or less. Sometimes I ride hard, fast, climb, recover...
Staring at basement heating ducts and dusty cement for an hour can be dull though. To alleviate this boredom I just tote along the laptop with earbuds and surf the youtubes and Pandora and go with the landscape in my ears. Actually, this game is sort of enjoyable as I "race" along matching tempo, climbs and surges with ultra video clips or visualize challenging sections of courses I have raced or trained on.
Progress NOT Perfection
The ankle is feeling better... but I am not trusting it quite yet. I would rather miss a few weeks of running now and be certain that I am healthy and ready to begin training again. So, I will strength train, get in the core work, find games to play on bikes to nowhere and reset the system to be healthy for a great 2012.
I feel the motivation returning following challenging workouts in The Rungeon. I dream of running up mountains and across creeks and through meadows and snow storms and downpours. I dream of running again in the heat of the summer and under layers in wind blown freezing blizzards, down slippery slopes and gliding across crunching white single track.
But for now... I ride in place through the soundscapes of the Rungeon and I am happy to be making progress.
