Thursday, July 2, 2009

Time to be Honest

Ok, for quite some time I have had this nagging pain in my left calf/shin. For the past few weeks Brian Kildow, the "god of soft-tissue injuries" has been performing his A.R.T magic trying to get the pain to go away. As the race got closer he was quite kind and avoided saying my 2 least favorite words in my presence! Not 2 weeks before my race! He has mastered the art of positive thinking, and although he couldn't say the 2 words, his face said it all. It said it all. I ignored that face, and the training continued. With one week to go I backed off. NO running. I went out for a quick warm-up job in Lubbock the day before the race, and quickly turned back. It hurt...but I refused to give it any acknowledgment. "If I ignore you, you'll go away" I told it.
When race day comes its like magic, thoughts of injuries don't belong anywhere within my head. I could care less really. Pain, I can handle that! It wasn't going to get the best of me or hinder my race at all. Seriously, I blocked any thought about my shin out of my mind completely. I revert back to one of my favorite quotes, from U.S. Rowing Coach, Mike Livingston (his athletes use to listen it every morning): "Good day, you are privileged to live another day in this magnificent world. Today you will be tested. Today you will contact your death with the power of your living. As a Warrior this is YOUR day. you must silence your body and senses. You must quiet your breath and mind that you may create within yourself, by act of will....the mood of a Warrior."

After the race my body and mind awoke from their state of silence. My shin hurt! Each day its gotten worse. Today I went back to Brian, and he finally allowed himself to speak those 2 words he knows I hate to hear: STRESS FRACTURE. You see I've had over 15 in my shins. I'm a bit sensitive to the topic! But it's time for me to be honest. A stress fracture is possible, and I am depressed. My orthodontics need to be resurfaced, but I can't run without them. So I sent them back to be resurfaced. Until they get back there is no way I'll try running. But I'm sad! My Brooks were moved away from the door, and sit without orthodontics. They won't be seeing the trails this weekend.

Ok. Quick! Time to snap out of it! I was able to train through this, and race hard on it. I was still sad. So I made my favorite comfort food. Baked oatmeal, with raspberry's, coconut, and blueberries.

And to bring the smile back to my face I turned my thoughts beyond Vineman, and towards Kona!






Ok, eating my baked oatmeal and looking at pics from Kona last year makes me feel a tiny bit better. Tonight, I'll head to Sculpt Fusion yoga and maybe then I'll be a whole new person!

1 comment:

Bradley D. said...

be calm & know the body will heal...and eat loads of that comfort food! Great work in Lubbock :)

Enjoy some fireworks this weekend!