Extended recovery

Although I was very ready to get back to real training, I enjoyed the week of recovery. I relaxed a bit, I finally started organizing some stuff for my bonus room and started an arts and crafts project for it (still in process). I walked Nikita more. I finally planted my garden. Better late than never.

I gave myself one full week of some guilty pleasure eating. Since I was sick of white food the guilty pleasures naturally came in the form of dessert. Chocolate, peanut butter (of course), double stuffed mint oreos, ice cream, margaritas. When I heard some people were doing Whole30, I immediately jumped on board to join them but in my own way. I’m not doing Whole30 again but eating by the rules for most of the next few weeks. This is me trying to find a good balance. I know I do better with eating when I have some outside influence hence why I’m joining them. At the same time I’m going to Universal next week and I’ve done Whole30 while traveling before and it’s VERY difficult especially if you can’t cook at all for yourself. I want to enjoy those few days without having to constantly think about what I’m eating. Plus I want butter beer! It’s so yum. What I AM doing is trying to help my body in every way possible to heal and I think eating this way does that. 

I’ve been in a bit of an injury cycle where as one injury heals, another one pops up. I’ve heard that’s somewhat common since you tend to compensate while injured which can irritate other things. End of last year I got Achilles tendinitis, as that finally got better the pain shifted to medial tibial stress syndrome. Now that it’s mostly better, my knee and opposite foot are hurting. Both of those pains have popped up in teeny tiny amounts over the last several weeks but I was always able to get it under control. After NOLA I could barely walk by the end of the day my knee pain got so bad. Now I can’t run 20 minutes without limping around rest of the day. The knee pain is from my IT band and I know how to handle that. The foot pain, which is the worst pain, I’m struggling with a bit more. The real issue isn’t necessarily each individual pain (although obviously those are each problems), it’s the fact that there is always something injured or hurting and not in the little nagging type of way that can be expected.

I’ve said mannny times in my life that my body isn’t designed for running. It took me a long time to get here but I finally realized I am meant to run. We are all designed to run. And if you don’t agree feel free to start an argument with me so I can prove you wrong. I however haven’t done everything possible to run optimally. My weaknesses, my poor form, and maybe even some poor choices, that’s what gets me injured.

True to my engineering-type-A self (and after a shift kick in the ass from Katie), I created a list of everything I could and should be doing from small daily stuff to mobility to strength to things to do before running. I’ve looked through notes I took after run camp and PT visits and I searched my brain for everything I’ve been told. I’ve done some research online and through books. I’ve started putting the puzzle pieces together. I’m sure I’m still missing some pieces but I think I have an idea of what the overall picture looks like of what is wrong and what I need to do to fix it. I’m still seeing my PT and going to see others to help fill in the holes.

The one thing I do know is I have work to do. It won’t be easy, no part of this triathlete life is easy so why should this be any different. I have no problem dedicating so much to training and yet I’ve clearly fallen short in other areas and it’s costing me. Just like training, now I need to truly dedicate myself to fixing this before I lose any more time. I used to get angry when I got injured, then I progressed to getting upset and defeated, recently I’ve felt acceptance of my situation. Acceptance…. why should I accept my situation? At least when I was angry I was more motivated to do something about it. I’m not saying I’m going back to angry, but I’m hoping I can move to a new mental state. One that is determined. I know what my goal is for the year and now I have to be prepared to do whatever is best to get me there. Whatever it is.