One sad day in cycling. Am I the only one feeling really disillusioned with the TdF right now?
Several CRs had decided to meet today for a run through the Royal National Park south of Sydney. The customs office must not have been open so early as I didn't need to present my passport as we entered The Shire ;-)
Rags picked me up from home at 6am for the drive south which took just under an hour (including a slight detour). Somewhere in the Shire (Grey's Point maybe) we met up with Mr & Mrs Wildthing & the Owl and did a car swap. After a decison I made last night (see below) I decided to take the shorter option so I jumped into the car with WT who was heading down to Audley in the national park while Mr WT and Owly joined Rags for the trip to the main meeting point.
WT set out on her bike while I waited in the "fresh" air for the main group to arrive. And arrive in force they did. I hadn't expected so many. I quickly tacked onto the back of the pack with Owly and Blue Dog who kept us company.
The run followed Lady Carrington Drive - a fire trail & great running surface complete with a few puddles of mad thanks to recent rain. Surprisingly it warmed up quite quickly. After 45mins I decided to leave Owly & Blue Dog & turned around to head back to the car (with a slight detour for a pit stop). In all I finished with 12.15kms in 1:21:05 (aver 6:40mins/km). Let's just say that the legs are not very happy - my TLF/hip & right ITB (yes, The Problem Child) have been tightening up over the last few weeks & today I had a bit of ITB pain :-(
Once WT finished her off-road duathlon, we climbed into the car & went looking forward to rest of the group who had run back to their starting point - another 4kms up (literally) the road. It was then onto the "Norton St of the south" for breakfast. A nice way to start a relaxing Sunday morning.
Thanks to Neil for organising it; Rags for the lift and Owly & Blue Dog for their company :-)
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I have chosen not to do W2B. It was THE "goal race" that I set for myself when I stopped running due to my ITB problem in November last year and has been the source of my inspiration since then. I now know that I could/can do it which in itself I think of as a huge achievement. I certainly didn't believe it was possible when I started running again in March this year. But thanks to the support, encouragement & occassional nudge in the back to keep me moving forward from close friends, my fitness is now at the point of being able to run the distance & course. Unfortunately my body isn't up to it. My lower leg niggles show no sign of abating & now that my ITB is (slightly) unhappy, I am not prepared to accept the risk of doing further damage. Being able to continue to run (particularly given all that is going on in my life at the moment) is too important to me. I learnt that lesson last year. I feel ok about the decision - I have come so much further this year than I ever thought I would. After all, life (and running) is about the journey, not the destination :-)
So where does that leave me? Right now, I don't know. C2S is next week (& is the race that kicked off my ITB problems last year) so I will batter my lower legs & ITB into submission over the next 7 days. After that, I'll cut back the running (by how much I don't know) and focus on overcoming these problems. I've been dreading running for a few weeks now & am looking forward to running again without the dread & constant battle with one niggle or another. I'm definitely planning to do the Fitzroy Falls 10kms and a few of the Kembla Joggers mountain running series (which will certainly test out the legs).
Of course, this decision means that I won't be doing Six Foot next year. Bummer. Lucky the Glasshouse 50kms is already on the plan for 2007 ;-)
Several CRs had decided to meet today for a run through the Royal National Park south of Sydney. The customs office must not have been open so early as I didn't need to present my passport as we entered The Shire ;-)
Rags picked me up from home at 6am for the drive south which took just under an hour (including a slight detour). Somewhere in the Shire (Grey's Point maybe) we met up with Mr & Mrs Wildthing & the Owl and did a car swap. After a decison I made last night (see below) I decided to take the shorter option so I jumped into the car with WT who was heading down to Audley in the national park while Mr WT and Owly joined Rags for the trip to the main meeting point.
WT set out on her bike while I waited in the "fresh" air for the main group to arrive. And arrive in force they did. I hadn't expected so many. I quickly tacked onto the back of the pack with Owly and Blue Dog who kept us company.
The run followed Lady Carrington Drive - a fire trail & great running surface complete with a few puddles of mad thanks to recent rain. Surprisingly it warmed up quite quickly. After 45mins I decided to leave Owly & Blue Dog & turned around to head back to the car (with a slight detour for a pit stop). In all I finished with 12.15kms in 1:21:05 (aver 6:40mins/km). Let's just say that the legs are not very happy - my TLF/hip & right ITB (yes, The Problem Child) have been tightening up over the last few weeks & today I had a bit of ITB pain :-(
Once WT finished her off-road duathlon, we climbed into the car & went looking forward to rest of the group who had run back to their starting point - another 4kms up (literally) the road. It was then onto the "Norton St of the south" for breakfast. A nice way to start a relaxing Sunday morning.
Thanks to Neil for organising it; Rags for the lift and Owly & Blue Dog for their company :-)
**********************************
I have chosen not to do W2B. It was THE "goal race" that I set for myself when I stopped running due to my ITB problem in November last year and has been the source of my inspiration since then. I now know that I could/can do it which in itself I think of as a huge achievement. I certainly didn't believe it was possible when I started running again in March this year. But thanks to the support, encouragement & occassional nudge in the back to keep me moving forward from close friends, my fitness is now at the point of being able to run the distance & course. Unfortunately my body isn't up to it. My lower leg niggles show no sign of abating & now that my ITB is (slightly) unhappy, I am not prepared to accept the risk of doing further damage. Being able to continue to run (particularly given all that is going on in my life at the moment) is too important to me. I learnt that lesson last year. I feel ok about the decision - I have come so much further this year than I ever thought I would. After all, life (and running) is about the journey, not the destination :-)
So where does that leave me? Right now, I don't know. C2S is next week (& is the race that kicked off my ITB problems last year) so I will batter my lower legs & ITB into submission over the next 7 days. After that, I'll cut back the running (by how much I don't know) and focus on overcoming these problems. I've been dreading running for a few weeks now & am looking forward to running again without the dread & constant battle with one niggle or another. I'm definitely planning to do the Fitzroy Falls 10kms and a few of the Kembla Joggers mountain running series (which will certainly test out the legs).
Of course, this decision means that I won't be doing Six Foot next year. Bummer. Lucky the Glasshouse 50kms is already on the plan for 2007 ;-)
16 comments:
aw jen - shitty decision to have to make - but you are making it for all the right reasons and you have plenty more goals ahead. and your legs will thank you!
but C2S next weekend will be loads of fun - glad you will be there to share with!
You are 1 smart laydee Jen! I confess to reading your blog with an ever increasing sense of dread as the needle on the niggleometer has been getting ever higher. Rest up well for C2S and I hope you enjoy the day as much as I did last year - will be thinking of you!
Sensible decision Jen. Don't sacrifice the enjoyment of running just for one race. Sorry to hear the problem child is playing up. Jealous of the attention the tib-ants are getting maybe?
Good on ya Jen, that's a very brave decision, especially considering it means 6ft is out. But its a smart one.
Thanks for the ITB battering reminder. I MUST do the same this week in prep for C2S.
Thats a bummer Jen but plenty more running is out there to be had!
Maybe on W2B day you could still cruise up and do a recce on the course? The last long climb is a short stroll (or ride on that shiny Trek!) from the main road and you could still get a good idea of what awaits you for 2007 :)
I hear ya, I'm not sure what hurts more sometimes battering the ITB or running without battering it (although then of course you have to batter it afterwards as well anyway!). Hope you get sorted out soon, would be a shame not to be able to run the GH 50 with you ;)
Good decision Jen. W2B is long and unforgiving. Dave is right. Lots of other runs out there to choose from.
See you at C2S.
Bugger. Good thing listening to your body though Jen. After C2S, roll back to where you were a few months ago. This time edge up even more slowly next time round maybe.
That's a difficult decision made but I'm glad you made it. I have been worried about your niggles for weeks so I can relax now!! I really didn't want to see you being injured again. Gently does it now and you'll reach all your goals.
puddles of mad? I must have missed those! ;-) Lovely that mad me smile!
Gotta admit, I was starting to get concerned about the "I don't really want to run" subtext that's been permeating the posts lately. I think that you've made a brave (and correct) decision. Now all I have to do is convince myself to be as sensible... (not yet though)
Gnome
Good to listen to your body. Take care of you and hopefully we'll see you at C2S next weekend.
Good desicion, the best is that you feel fine.
Now, time to look for real causes. Let's end with the problems that lead us to this injuries!
Ok, I'll do it as soon as the m passes... :S
just take things easy at C2S won't you ... unless you were planning on a podium? ;)
As you know, it's the experience that makes the race, not the "race" itself. So just have fun and go with the flow on the day.
Keeping Fitzroy Falls on the calendar is a sound move - not least of all because of the company that will be there ;)
That's a tough call, Jen.
The fact trhat it's sensible doesn't make it palatable, but it's a lot more palatable than extended injury. Good to see you staying out of trouble.
Cheers,
Ben
Tough but wise call Jen. Even without it you've done some great runs this year with others still ahead. I'm sure a lighter workload on the legs will help rein in the niggles...and I'll see you at 6FT 2008!
Have a great time at C2S :)
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