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Sunday, April 29, 2007

Humbled on the Mountain

I guess it's time to take a break for awhile.

Today I set out looking forward to a long run. I'd rested for several days and did not feel any issues with my foot. However, upon arriving at the mountain, I had only taken a few steps up the path when the pain came back. The pain is along the side of my foot (the outside) - it's not in the ankle but below it. Not sure what it is.

At any rate my body is telling me I just haven't relaxed enough to heel. This is extremely disappointing with a race coming soon. I'm definitely NOT ruling myself out of the race ... I just need to make sure I rest appropriately and recover fully before tackling it. I made it to the top of the mountain and then limped my way back down. I actually had a good pace (the hill repeats have paid off) but I am just frustrated to not have had a quality long run in weeks now.

Perhaps the message is that I keep pushing too far, too much, too soon. I'm going to stop trying to force volume through frequency (i.e. lots of runs) and just focus on 3 quality runs (after taking AT LEAST a full week off to get rid of this injury). I'll keep my hill repeats, have a pace run, then my long run. The fourth run just seems to be the straw that breaks the camel's back for me.

I also need to get more consistent with stretching and strength training. Something to focus on.

What was really nice was the time it took to head down the mountain. It was a pause to be in nature and "lost" on the mountain.

That's when I was struck with a very acute realization: I've been burning the candle at both ends a lot, and haven't taken much time to pause, slow down, and relax. I seem to keep thinking and hinting about it but not doing it. It's really what my long runs should be but haven't due to the stuggles I've been having lately with injuries, etc.

It is ironic because my latest video which I'll post below relates to how thought is creative and our thoughts help manifest much of what goes on in life. If we allow our thoughts to randomly generate as they tend to, then we give up control but not focusing on intention. I haven't "intended" much lately, instead I've set goals and gone with the flow but have let my thoughts run wild. It's time to do a few things. First is to just pause and relax. It used to be a daily ritual to meditate and relax ... it's time to get back to that. Those moments are so important. In fact, if I were my own client, that's the first thing I'd tell me to focus on ... so it's time to start listening to that inner voice!

The second is to start building a better routine. I wrote last week of dedicating the day to my family, and I had a phenomenal time this weekend. We went on a picnic, had a date, and it was great. I also need to carry that into the week. I've let some chaos creep in and it's time to focus more on organization.

I've had a few people ask me if I felt God is telling me that I'm not meant to run the ultramarathon. I don't believe this is the case. When I was training hard for a bodybuilding competition, I realized that I was only doing it for me. Not even as a positive act for me ... I wasn't pursuing the healthy benefits of training or achieving low body fat. I was in it for the vanity - here's my muscles, now "I'll show them" meaning the people who used to give me a hard time for being overweight and out of shape.

I realized this and prayed and decided that I would not pursue that goal. It was a humbling experience after committing so publicly and to so many people to stop and back out, but it was the right thing to do because I was pursuing it for the wrong reasons.

This goal, however, I feel is one I am called to. The issue is not the goal, it's the way I've been approaching it. It is a journey to learn about myself and my limits ... but instead I've been trying to force it, push it through, add mileage when I know I'm not ready or hit the long runs when I'm not fully healed. I've got to create more balance and I believe this is the lesson I'm meant to learn.

So I'm very much still in the game with the goal. What you'll find with me is that I don't mind if it takes longer or I have to try harder. That's why I was successful with dropping fat. Failure isn't falling down, it's not getting back up after you fall down. I "fell" many times - tried dozens of diets and really lived in a "limbo" for 15 months as I struggled to shed fat and found all the ways not to lose it. But because I persisted, I eventually found the right combination (which turned out to be something inside of me rather than a nutrition plan or workout) and succeeded.

This is a similar journey. I'm learning a lot about what I'm missing, what I'm doing wrong, what it feels like to face defeat ... but I'm getting back up, shaking the dust from my shoes and moving on. I will reach this goal but I also know all of the complications are part of the process and that I'll continue to learn and grow as part of this journey.

How exciting!

That brings me to the next installed in the Weightloss Mindset Series, Weight Loss Mindset Part 2: Thought is Creative. I learned something myself listening to this seminar I presented two years ago.



Have a blessed weekend,

Jeremy Likness

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posted by Jeremy Likness | 12:35 PM | 3 comments


Sunday, April 15, 2007

Blame it on the Rain

Today's Run: 6.49m
Run Time: 1:11:52 (11:04 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 517.8

Thoughts on the Run:

You can blame the rain for me not going to the mountain. I had no desire to trudge through sludge in the cold.

You cannot blame the rain, however, for me not working out. Because I did! I set out to do at least 12 in my neighborhood. I was toying with the idea of doing more just because the hills aren't quite as severe (although I do have my fair share).

I woke up feeling sore and stiff and like I did not want to run. After some breakfast and waking up, I still felt a little "under the weather" but had the energy to run. I was determined to make an effort. The weather was nasty: overcast, in the 40s but closer to 30s with wind chill, slight drizzle and plenty of gusts.

I loaded up and started running. I think my first mistake was assuming that because it was so cold, I wouldn't need as much fluid. I brought plenty, but just wasn't drinking as much. Hydration is such a science ... too much and your stomach sloshes and you have stomach pain, too little and you get dehydrated and lose performance.

The run actually felt phenomenal. After warming up over the first mile our so, I was in a nice rhythm. While it was cold, it wasn't freezing, and I was dressed perfect for the weather. I warmed up but did not get too hot and actually welcomed some of the gusts, when they weren't trying to blow me off the sidewalk into traffic.

I tackled the hills with a steady pace and managed to conquer even the longer ones without compromising my average pace of about 11 minutes for every mile. I like the run near my home because in my mind I can divide it into neighborhoods. I pick up a few miles in my neighborhood, another few in the next neighborhood, then another three, etc. There is a main road and then each subdivision has two entrances so I go into the south entrance, loop through the subdivision, and come out in the north entrance and continue on the main road.

I had just completed about six miles and felt confident I'd end up doing more like 13 or 14. I turned by a library near my house and headed down another road. Here, I'd veer off into the hilliest neighborhood of them all. I was actually looking forward to it, having missed tackling the 800 foot climb at the beginning of my Kennesaw run.

Suddenly I noticed my right calf muscle was aching. I decided I didn't have time for this and that it would go away. I focused on having a nice, consistent stride and form, and pressed on. The ache stayed there, however, and while it wasn't a sharp pain and wasn't getting worse, it wasn't going away. Ironically, it seemed to disappear for a few moments, and then suddenly came back and this time a shooting pain radiated from my calf down to both sides of the ankle of my foot. The pain subsided, but there was still some discomfort..

I didn't press it this time. I know when my body is tapping me on the shoulder saying, "Hey, enough!" The last time I "ran through" some pain, I ended up out of commission for a few weeks. So I stopped and began walking. It was rapidly becoming more stiff, so I called my wife and asked her to pick me up.

She was there in a few minutes. Running in the cold is a catch-22. If you keep running, great. The instant you stop, however, look out. I was drenched in sweat and no longer running, so I began to slowly freeze. Fortunately, my rescue crew arrived and had my seat pre-heated!

We rode home and just that short ride caused my leg to become completely stiff. I could barely walk on it. The pain is by my ankle and in my lower calf. I'm sure it's an issue from me adding so much volume of training ... but I'm also confident I stopped soon enough and didn't push it too hard, so if I rest, I should be able to recover fine.

The reason I feel it's probably a classic case of overtraining is because after cleaning up and having a meal, I felt nauseous. My heart rate hadn't slowed much and it almost felt like I had a fever (we checked it, and I didn't). So, I took about a three hour nap.

Now I feel much better and recovered. My leg is still sore - it's interesting that it is a combination of what feels like simply a strained/sore muscle (my lower calf or soleus) and a stiff/twisted ankle. We'll ice it and see where we go from here. I probably have pushed it a little hard this week and just needed to take a break and catch some rest.

So that's exactly what I'll be doing right now!

Jeremy

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posted by Jeremy Likness | 8:17 PM | 1 comments



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