THE BAD
A few weeks ago, I traveled to Atlanta to attend a wedding. While there, I decided to knock Georgia off my list of states in which I have run a race. What could go wrong? I signed up for a 10k trail run because I can officially confirm that I dig trail runs. Now admittedly, in preparing to go, I did not get enough sleep, plus the day that we drove up, we didn't get in until late. So I was maybe less excited when the alarm went off bright and early than I might have been otherwise. Also it was pouring rain.
Rain is not my favorite because I hate running with wet feet. But there was far more to hate. Not only was it raining, it was cold. And there was a thunderstorm at one point. And the fact that it had been raining for a while meant that there was mud. Here in Florida, we don't get mud very often because much of the ground is sandy (it's kind of surreal, actually, when it rains like crazy and one hour later there is no trace of it on the ground). In Georgia, by contrast, it gets CRAZY MUDDY. For a trail run, this is not great.
If I had to choose my least favorite race of all time, this one just might rank. We had time restrictions with regard to the wedding so I had to drop down to the 5k from the 10k so that I would get back in time. This was probably the best thing that happened to me with respect to this race because it was 5ks of sheer misery and hell (okay, the first 2.5 or so weren't quite so bad). It was by far my worst time ever. By a lot. By around 12 minutes, in fact--my GPS wasn't working, so around the normal time when I would expect to finish a 5k, I kept telling myself that there was only a little bit left but no, there was a lot left. In sum, there were hills, mud, rain, cold, and at one point I wanted to sit down on the ground and cry, 'WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?' But I realized--wisely--that this would only prolong the agony.
(I do want to say that this was in no way the fault of the organizers or anything like that. I'm sure that this is a perfectly pleasant trail race in most conditions. But I have to say that it wasn't my favorite this year).
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| My shoes and socks following the run. |
THE UGLY
After returning to Tampa from the wedding, I woke up Monday morning to find that I had what I assumed was a sinus infection. Blech, I thought. No good. So much for my plans to run 15 miles on Tuesday in preparation for the 16-mile Croom Fools Run coming up soon. So I took it easy Monday thinking that maybe I would be better Tuesday. No. Tuesday I was tired and icky. Wednesday I couldn't go to work. Thursday I had severe muscle aches in my quads from the intense activity of lying around on the couch all day.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was the flu. And not just any flu. Totally blechy, horrible, awful, BLERG flu.
Seeing as how I couldn't lie on the couch without experiencing muscle pain, I was in no state to run or do anything else. Nine days after the onset, on the Tuesday, I wrote to the race director to see if I could defer my entry for the 16-mile run (this is a race that has a waiting list and they allow you to defer if someone else wants to run it). This was a first for me. However, there was no one waiting for the 16 miles, so that was that.
Wednesday--so 10 days after I went down for the count--I finally got myself back to Crossfit. It did not go particularly well. But I survived. And I didn't cough like a maniac the whole time, which was considerable improvement from the previous two days.
THE GOOD
Since I didn't die at Crossfit (even if I didn't have a banner day) and I got through a 4-mile run on the Thursday night without major incident, I decided to go ahead with the 16 mile. It's entirely possible that this was not the best idea that I have ever had, but I did it and I survived. Let me tell you, it was hard, particularly the last four miles--I suspect that this would have been true regardless since 16 miles is the second-longest distance that I have ever raced, but I was still not at 100%, which made it worse.
But the point is that I did it and I have to say, it was pretty fun for the most part. This race also took place in the Withlacoochee forest, like the previous half-marathon that I did, but it was almost entirely in a different part of the forest. And as usual in a trail race, I was on my own for much of it in the quiet woods. Also, the weather was surprisingly pleasant, particularly for April, with temperatures starting in the low 50s. It was a hard race--a very hard race--but I still enjoyed 75% of it (those last four miles.....okay, they weren't so bad. At least there wasn't mud).
It's been a week since that run and I remain at less than 100% capacity for running. My lungs are still not wholly better, which I can see quite easily during Crossfit when I have problems catching my breath. I may not be very good at Crossfit, but generally I do have the cardio fitness to do things. Running is also a challenge. Tonight, for instance, was 4 miles (if you're curious, I am currently training for the Broad Street Run in Philly, which is the first weekend in May). For the first three or so, it was still hot--the temperature today got up to 88F, so we are starting to get near summertime. I was slow because I am not heat adapted, and I was okay with that. Then, when the sun went down and it started cooling off a bit, I was slow because I couldn't breathe properly, which was moderately annoying.
A lack of breath is a new obstacle for me. In a way, though, I am strangely glad that this happened. I haven't been injured before and there is a parallel between this and injury. I am focusing instead on finishing workouts, taking it easy, and realizing that right now, performance is secondary to completing tasks. It's okay. Someday--hopefully someday soon--I will be able to breathe again.
It seems only right to leave you with this:
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