5.09.2012

Cinco de Mayo 5K

Today's training with Alison was just what I needed. A dose of motivation. A very difficult work-out. A glimmer of respectable progress. Most of all I'm excited to see where I'll be in another two months.  Huzzah!

***
The 5K on Sunday did not go well.

 Now, I've been having some problems with motivation and follow through lately.  The week of "rest" during the cold turned into an additional 2 weeks of "light workouts" due to lingering symptoms.  I intended to workout more.... (You know what they say about good intentions.)   

Fast forward to the morning of the 5k.  I'm standing at the start with Chris and all I can think about are the obstacles that will hold me back from having a great run.  (This is not a positive mindset for a Sunday morning.) To wit:
  • A puffy and vaguely tender left ankle.  A by-product of a rather spectacular/embarrassing fall at the gym on Saturday. 
  • A mere 4 hours of sleep.  Saturday night I threw Chris and his twin a birthday party.  It was their first birthday party in 16 years, and it was epic.

The first mile(ish) of the run was okay.  I was tired for sure, and didn't have much in my reserves but my ankle seemed to be okay.  I figured I was fine, I was a third done...and I run 3 miles practically every day.  A few blocks later I was more tired and my ankle started to protest.  But I tried to push through.  Mind over matter, right?

Wrong, I made it another block before I was super fatigued and my ankle was now sending warning signals of pain up my shin.  Blast and damn.  I grabbed Chris' arm (yes, we were running together...awww cute) and told him I needed to walk a bit.  After a couple blocks I was ready to run again.  No go.  It only took a couple yards to realize running just wasn't going to happen.

So there we were.  Half way through the course and running just wasn't an option for my whiny and now more swollen ankle.  Should I finish the course by walking?  Quit altogether?  Sit down on the side and cry out of frustration?

I really wanted to quit and cry, but since our car was four blocks away from the finish and the roads were closed due to the race...it really just made more sense to walk the rest of the course and cross that damn finish line.  I tightened my shoe, and we walked the rest of the way.

Poor Chris.  I'd convinced him to run this 5k with me, and he willingly went along with the plan.  He trained for it, even though he has giant legs and could probably run a 10K without serious training.  He willingly got out of bed the morning after his birthday party, and seemed pretty excited to do a fun run.  And then experience turned out to be simply a walk through downtown Portland listening to the dark cloud of negativity that was my verbal diarrhea:
"I'm such a failure.  I'm sorry I made you sign up for this and then you didn't get to run. I don't have any endurance today, which is stupid because I run 3 miles often.  I should be able to do a 5K! Why can't I do this today? I'm such a failure! I hate my ankle! Why am I doing this?  Oh god, we're with the walkers now! Have you seen how many people have passed us?"
And so it went. Happily, I overcame my mini-breakdown before the finish line. We crossed that finish line, running I might add (but only for about 2 blocks.)  To celebrate Chris' first 5K I bought him breakfast at the Laurelhurst Pub, a post-race favorite.

This is my first experience with injury while running.  This is the first "race" that had been a negative experience, the first "failure" if you will.  But this is not a new phenomenon to me, I had these roadblocks and setbacks when I was swimming and I got through them.  I'll get through the setbacks and negativity again.  I WILL finish that marathon.  I will.  

So...today's success with those crazy TRX crunches, which I couldn't do 2 months ago, was just the motivation boost I needed.  I am making progress, and I can't wait to see where I'll be in another 2 months.

***
Can we talk about how lucky I am that Chris is in my life?  I've said this before, but I so appreciate how patient and supportive Chris is.  I know training for this marathon would be infinitely harder without his support.

***

Today's Workout
20 minutes on treadmill

500meters rowing machine
60 sec fast TRX squats
12x TRX push-ups
60 seconds TRX plank
10X TRX crunches
10X TRX crunches
30 seconds TRX plank

2x
8x assisted pullups (-80lbs)
12x assisted dips (-72lbs)

10x incline wide push-ups
10x incline narrow push-ups
10x calf raises (w/ 25 lb wt)
2x10 incline squats (w/ 2x 25lb wt)

12x military press (15lb each arm)
12x dips

3.01 miles (Laurelhurst loop) w/ Chris

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