First and foremost, I’ve been challenged with training.
- My hamstring has been hurting just a bit. That holds me back from pushing myself.
- I haven’t committed to a true training schedule. I’ve just been running when I feel like it (which is at least a few times a week so I’m doing something).
- I haven’t fully recovered from my hamstring injury, in the sense that I’m not where I was physically or mentally before I was injured. My times are slower, my breathing is more labored and thus my overall endurance is down.
Second, I’ve been challenged with fueling.
- Eating food as fuel has not been a priority. And I see it and feel it and deal with it when I run.
Finally, my confidence has gone down.
- It sort of feels like a vicious cycle. I injure my hamstring so I can’t train as much which means I can’t follow the schedule I need to truly endure at a race. I’m more lax on eating which in turn means my performance suffers so overall my confidence starts to fade.
That’s what it felt like during my race. I struggled getting my breathing under control the entire race. Usually somewhere between mile 2.5 and 4.5, I settle into a comfortable pace and go. During this race, I never found my rhythm. I also really struggled with the last quarter to half mile. Usually I leave just enough in reserve to push myself harder and faster in those final moments of a race. This time, I hit the wall. I felt my body start to resist my request to move forward. My legs started to stiffen up and my pace dropped. I didn’t tell myself to slow down, my body just forced its way into control and my mind could not overtake it. I limped along to the finish line, a little embarrassed and extremely exhausted.
So what went right? Plenty!
I completed a race.
- Every time I step onto the starting line, my biggest goal is to finish the race. While I have been blessed to have achieved that goal many times, I have also faltered and not finished before. So each time I make it across the finish line, I’m extremely grateful. I also really strive to run the entire course of any running race I do and despite how I was feeling during my run, I ran every moment of it.
I finished in a reasonably good time (for me).
- It wasn’t my best time ever. However, for a trail run, it wasn’t far off of my best pace times. Considering how I felt during the run, I was surprised and pleased that I moved a little more efficiently than I thought.
I continue to have the ability to do something I love.
- I really enjoy running and the ability to compete in any and all running events is a delight for me (yes, even despite feeling lousy!). Every time I compete in a race, I can immediately check off this positive outcome.
So what did I learn from my race?
1. Get a training plan in place. I’m working on a big schedule for myself in 2013 and in order to put those plans into motion, I need to start following a training schedule.
2. Get a fueling plan in place. The link between fuel and training / competition is HUGE. In order to get the most out of training and most out of myself, eating well is key.
3. Re-introduce intervals. I have avoided any sprint intervals like the plague. The last sprint intervals I did pushed my hamstring to the max and resulted in injury. As a part of rebuilding, I need to incorporate sprint intervals.
4. Celebrate! I completed another race and I look forward to the next one.
Whether you’re competing in races or not, what do you take away from your daily exercise? Do you find ways to make it more fun? Challenge yourself? Do you make a plan for the next time? What do you aspire to do with your fitness? Live healthfully? Stay fit? Meet health and wellness goals? Compete? Take a few minutes to think about it and determine if some additional thought and planning will help you make the most of your time exercising!
Miss FitGab
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