Fessing Up

Considering how badly I hurt after Ventura I was expecting to be in pain on Monday and Tuesday.  Surprisingly, I felt fine.  I only felt a couple of twinges here and there.   Which was good as Monday was my first night back to volleyball.   I had Monday and Tuesday as vacation days, so it was super nice to sleep in on Monday.   I ran some errands and played on the computer, a nice relaxing day before volleyball in the evening.    While we didn’t win, we played well.  It was new team (sort of) and I hadn’t played in almost a year.   I thought I was going to be more rusty but it felt very familiar.

Damn, my shoes are white
Damn, my shoes are white

The only downside was the niggling of headache that had been lingering for a few days.  That niggling turned into a full blown migraine by Tuesday morning and I could barely walk, let alone get in my planned run.  I spent Tuesday in bed in a dark room.  Great vacation day right?   That headache has hung around since, so I actually have not run since Ventura.  I did make it to work the rest of the week though.  I had to take a personality type assessment (similar to Myers Briggs) on Wednesday for a training seminar.   Never take those when you have a headache.    Your answers are just a little off.    Oops!   Oh well, at least I got a decent laugh out of it.   And I think I figured out what triggered the headaches, so hopefully those will be easing.  🙂

My 6+ miles of walking in the Ventura half gave me plenty of time to think; plenty of time to fess up.  Back in the beginning of June I posted my No Excuses Summer post.  For the most part I stuck to it.  But I shouldn’t have.  My lovely GI issue flared up shortly after that and it’s now going on 3 months.  Instead of stepping back and getting some rest, I turned in 2 of my highest mileage months ever.   My body said one thing and my head ego said something else.   Which led me to Ventura.   I’m not even mad because honestly the writing was on the wall.  My paces have gotten slower, walking breaks longer and I take a nap any chance I get- damn near everyday.

source

So, where am I going with this?  Half marathons and I are taking a little break.  I am dropping back to running 3x a week and capping my long runs around 9.    I have run 4 half marathons this year, that is double any previous year so really I have nothing to complain about.   But this means missing City to the Sea and that kind of pisses me off.   This would have been my third year running it.  I really like the course and the volunteers and this year the shirt is purple! I want that!  But the race also falls 4 days after I go to USC so a smarter head must prevail.  I’m not done racing though, I love races!  I am just going to stick to 10K’s and under for a bit.    I would love to run a half in November if I am healthy enough but I have accepted that Surf City (NikeC!) in February might be my next half.

At times I am ok with this scaled back plan and others I am irritated.  But then I did it to myself.  Now I have to stick to this plan and not let the lower monthly numbers play with my head.  Which is what happened the last time I said I should scale back.    I have the Avocado Margarita Festival this weekend so it’s going to be busy but hopefully my next post will have some actual running in it.   I want to run 3 days a week not none!

Ever taken one of those fun assessment tests?

Ever run yourself into a hole or is it just my special talent?

What are you doing this weekend?

Anyone racing?  (Good luck to Courtney at Don’t Blink Just Run!)

16 thoughts on “Fessing Up”

  1. smart to listen to your body. There will always be races in the future. I ran the surf city half a couple of years ago and it was amazing. I’d love to go back some year and do it again

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    1. It may have taken me awhile but I finally got the memo. Now I just have to stick to it and not worry about miles or paces. I drove a friend down to run Surf City a few years ago, it looked so awesome. She and I are going to try for it in 2015.

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  2. It is horrible how migraines can trigger so many other side effects in your body. I only get one once a year but it feels like food poisoning and the worst headache ever combined.
    I applaud your decision to step back. This year was supposed to be my year of ultra marathons and triathlons and I just kept getting hurt and was in constant denial. Now that I’ve dialed things back, my running is better than ever and I’m in love with it again. Good for you for knowing you!!!

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    1. Migraines are horrible, mine usually make me nauseated but for some reason this time I had weird cravings for food. What is that all about? Yeah, this was supposed to be the year of a half marathon PR but it’s time to backburner that. Denial was comfy for me for awhile, but it’s good to wake up. 🙂

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  5. Better to ease back now than totally have your wheels fall off and need to stop running altogether at a later point. 10ks are still really fun and challenging, and hopefully next season you’ll be better and stronger because you took it easy.

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    1. Exactly, better to take it easy than have to take a total break. 10k’s are fun, I had a hate relationship with them for so long that I sometimes still just bypass them. I actually have one in 2 weeks but I am debating if it should be the 5k instead.

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  6. Ughh so sorry to hear about your migraine, and on a day off no less! They always seem to strike at the most inopportune times, don’t they? I agree with everyone else, I think it’s a good idea to ease off a little and listen to your body so you can start getting back to where it feels right. Plus shorter races are fun! 🙂

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