May 31st is the Madeira Beach Mad Dog sprint tri. It's somewhere between a B and C race in terms of overall importance to me, but for what it's worth... it's in the forefront of my mind right now. Why?
Because it includes a beach run!
You see I seem to have reoccurring calf issues. I lost 9 days worth of run training last December do to a double calf strain. I lost another couple of days after tri camp in February when I tweaked my left calf again and then I lost 4 more days of training after Escape from Ft. DeSoto's beach run left both of my calves screaming in misery. I plan on having some ART therapy done on these babies, but I keep putting it off.
Enter the Madeira Beach tri. When Jeff & Sondra sent the link to me about this tri months ago (it may have even been last year), I didn't really look at the course. Didn't think twice about anything at all. Had heard that it had a mad cool post-race party on the beach afterwards and thought heck, why not? Sounds like great fun!
Then the calves starting acting up... over and over again. They seem to be aggravated by anything that requires me to be a bit 'springier' than normal. Plyometric work, run drills, soft sand, etc...
Over the last couple of weeks I have debated on whether or not to DNS this tri. I would be DNSing 100% out of fear of jacking up my calves again and losing another week of training. I'm fairly certain that a person shouldn't DNS unless things are pretty dire, right? So aside from feeling like a wimp about not starting b/c I am completely healthy but afraid to get injured, Sondra... who knows me oh-so-well.... called me out on my silly fear and told me that, "it's time to get over it!"
So after our long ride yesterday, the gang went to the beach. While Sondra did some OWS in the Gulf. I floated along with Scott and hashed out the 3,000 reasons why I shouldn't do the Madeira triathlon. All of those reasons based 100% in fear of injury and failure. When I told Sondra about all of this after her swim, that's when she called me out. Son, I LOVE YOU FOR THIS!!!!
So what did I do?
I strapped on my running shoes and ran for 10 minutes on the beach, in the soft sand and mad as heck! Heart rate jacked up high as a kite, cursing under my breath the entire time and hoping that my calves would feel like complete SHYTE this morning so that I could have an "I told you so" moment and a reason not to start this triathlon!
Know what?
Calves feel perfectly fine this morning. Whadya know!?! OK, so it was only 10 minutes, but if I can run 10 minutes, then I can run for 20 and if I can run for 20, I can run for 30!
In all, Sondra helped me adjust my attitude and I've decided that I'm going to face this fear of running on the beach HEAD ON. I don't ever have to enter another triathlon that incorporates a beach run ever again if I don't want to, but I've paid my registration fee for this one and I will be starting (and finishing) it!
Game on!
7 comments:
Nothing gets the heart pumping like a good beach run. You know my calves starting hurting with my Newtons. I had to switch back to conventional shoes. Think there's a connection?
Hey Bob- I've been wearing Newtons for about 5 months now (on and off for the first month or two, but three months steady since then). My calves never, ever hurt after any regular road runs with them (even long runs). If anything, my legs actually feel fresher. I highly doubt it's the shoes although I will not be wearing them for Madeira Beach. The sole on the Newtons is very flexy... might as well run barefoot in the sand. Yesterday I wore some heavy-arse Nike Triax... so maybe the extra support helped?!?
Great job! Sounds like you know what you have to do to get ready for this race now! It's coming up fast, very exciting!!!
Hey! Glad to see you are all positive and pumped up with the race :) The therapist hat is on now ;) You seem to have had a few months since the initial injury and then re-injury. Since February, right? I think you are doing a good thing with breaking your calves in. Icing after running may be a good thing for you. Just in case. Sometimes you don't actually feel the damage until it is in full throttle. Try some Ibuprofen on race day. Just my 2 cents. :)
You go girl!
Sondra is a true friend!!! You go and face it girl!!!
Way to go! I for one am all for going for it - if not reckless or injuring you further! Have a great time!! I hope they serve post race a nice beach drink or something!!! Have fun!
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