I'm a few days late to the "welcome in the month of May" party, which is fine because I was not in much of a welcoming or party mood on May 1st or even yesterday, both of which were grey, rainy, and just dismal days in general. This wasn't an early showing of "June gloom" but all-day drizzle that put me into something of a funk.
Now that the forecast has cleared up and it's Thursday, I feel more prepared to embrace the month and all of its possibilities, good and bad. Since my calf issue seems to be waning, I can spend some mental energy positively thinking about the weekend and the month. Because there ARE more positives this month than negatives.
While I'd like to ignore the elephant in the room and not mention two "W" words at all (work and Wildflower), that would be silly. So, in regards to the first topic, I will say that I feel something of a let-up in terms of stress. I have tons of administrative crap to tend to over the next few weeks, but we're on the downward slide in terms of content and even school days. Because of that slight sense that the end of the year nears, my thoughts have started to wander to June and a trip that we just started to officially plan, after talking about it for the past few months.
As for the second "W" which looms - Sunday is race day, and I'm finally over the mental and physical slump I experienced earlier this week and am now looking forward to it. Michael has reminded me time and time again that I am at a different place than I was last year, in a positive way, and I'm now getting excited just thinking about the energy of the race and how beautiful it is there. I admit that I've also planned out my dinner on Friday and Sunday night, and I can't wait for a nice meal Saturday night in Paso Robles. Yah, we're obviously not camping after last year's aborted attempt!
Not that I'm looking too much beyond this weekend, but there is another race at the end of the month that will be a great way to almost-officially kick off the summer months. Throw in a friend's weekend visit mid-month which will include good food and drink, I think that we are set!
Showing posts with label calf issue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label calf issue. Show all posts
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Just a quick meltdown and then I'll be fine
Welcome to what I thought would be a nice taper week, but it's turned into something quite different.
At least that has been the last 48 hours or so - bouncing between a possible meltdown and total confidence. And, yes, it's less than a week until Wildflower, which definitely contributes to the wonky state of being. I've hesitated to call this my priority race, but it really is just that. While I've certainly invested tons of money in other experiences and events, I would say that this is the one that I'd like to go all out - guts and glory and all that stuff.
Which is why I panicked on Friday morning after an achey-knee-run on Thursday and called my knee doctor so that I could get a cortisone shot before the race. I've now reconsidered but have yet to cancel the appointment.
But it is also why, when I woke up yesterday morning and could barely walk, I almost had a major freak out. Instead, I peed (the reason that I got up in the first place), and then I looked up every single configuration of "cramp + recovery" or "calf + cramp+ swimming+ treatment" to see if I could find some kernel of enlightenment about my delicate condition. Instead, I found a lot of crap on the interweb and discovered that I could possibly have a blood clot! Doubtful, but good to think about these days. To me, the irony of all of this sudden drama is that I've had a healthy training cycle for the past however-many months. Then this just bit me in the ass!
After a pretty perfect Saturday, Sunday was a day that could have been filled with anxiety and frustration as I sat around and obsessed over my sore calf. While there moments of that, especially as my mind kept turning to the final Sunday ride that I canceled, I decided to enjoy the fact that I could fully rest (third rest day of the week - luxury!), have a low-key morning and hang out with some friends at dinner, eating Mexican food and drinking a margarita (or two?). As the day progressed, I realized that the pain in my calf was very localized - it just hurt like a mother when I did certain exercises or movements, like going downstairs or after sitting for a while and then getting up to walk around.
Today has been more of the same - descending with trepidation the many staircases that I encounter at work, but feeling great while standing, pacing in class and definitely strong enough to go for a four-mile run. We'll see where this leaves me for the weekend, but I am fairly but please don't jinx me confident that Sunday's race will go well. "Going well" would be finishing at a certain time that I don't want to voice publicly. However, I would also like to remind myself on Sunday that two years ago, I was still recovering from knee surgery and a 2-mile run was an awesome accomplishment. Three years ago, I couldn't even run. So, I would like to not lose sight of the fact that all of "this" (running, swimming, biking, and having fun!) is a gift that I don't want to take for granted.
And I will try to remind myself of that thought regularly between now and Sunday morning.
At least that has been the last 48 hours or so - bouncing between a possible meltdown and total confidence. And, yes, it's less than a week until Wildflower, which definitely contributes to the wonky state of being. I've hesitated to call this my priority race, but it really is just that. While I've certainly invested tons of money in other experiences and events, I would say that this is the one that I'd like to go all out - guts and glory and all that stuff.
Which is why I panicked on Friday morning after an achey-knee-run on Thursday and called my knee doctor so that I could get a cortisone shot before the race. I've now reconsidered but have yet to cancel the appointment.
But it is also why, when I woke up yesterday morning and could barely walk, I almost had a major freak out. Instead, I peed (the reason that I got up in the first place), and then I looked up every single configuration of "cramp + recovery" or "calf + cramp+ swimming+ treatment" to see if I could find some kernel of enlightenment about my delicate condition. Instead, I found a lot of crap on the interweb and discovered that I could possibly have a blood clot! Doubtful, but good to think about these days. To me, the irony of all of this sudden drama is that I've had a healthy training cycle for the past however-many months. Then this just bit me in the ass!
After a pretty perfect Saturday, Sunday was a day that could have been filled with anxiety and frustration as I sat around and obsessed over my sore calf. While there moments of that, especially as my mind kept turning to the final Sunday ride that I canceled, I decided to enjoy the fact that I could fully rest (third rest day of the week - luxury!), have a low-key morning and hang out with some friends at dinner, eating Mexican food and drinking a margarita (or two?). As the day progressed, I realized that the pain in my calf was very localized - it just hurt like a mother when I did certain exercises or movements, like going downstairs or after sitting for a while and then getting up to walk around.
Today has been more of the same - descending with trepidation the many staircases that I encounter at work, but feeling great while standing, pacing in class and definitely strong enough to go for a four-mile run. We'll see where this leaves me for the weekend, but I am fairly but please don't jinx me confident that Sunday's race will go well. "Going well" would be finishing at a certain time that I don't want to voice publicly. However, I would also like to remind myself on Sunday that two years ago, I was still recovering from knee surgery and a 2-mile run was an awesome accomplishment. Three years ago, I couldn't even run. So, I would like to not lose sight of the fact that all of "this" (running, swimming, biking, and having fun!) is a gift that I don't want to take for granted.
And I will try to remind myself of that thought regularly between now and Sunday morning.
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