On Saturday I did something that I hadn't done in a long time; I earned my shirt.
I had been doing very well taking care of my fragile calves and my tender Achilles. Stretching, drinking water, paying attention. All seemed to be going quite nicely. Friday I rode Mt. Wachussett with Paul and had a good time doing it. Lots of work for sure, and a little behind where I should be in my training, but nothing to be too frantic about.
Looking back I see that 1.) I didn't drink nearly enough water during or afterwards; and 2.) that I probably should have done the ride on Thursday and then had a day of recovery before attempting to run in a race (but that actually is only speculation since my problems came in the warm up...not the race).
. . .
Saturday was the Rabbit Run. A 10K race in New Salem which helps to raise money for the town's playground. A great event and a super challenging course! I want to go back and run it again as a training run just to actually run the uphill.
It was during my warm up that my left calf cramped up. I had time before the start to give it a good massage and try to get the darn thing to relax, which it almost did. Almost. And so I was faced with a decision; do I race or do I hand my shirt back in and sit it out. But I knew my answer before I even asked it. I wanted the shirt and so, for me, that meant that I was going to run in the race.
Play the hand your dealt. Do your best. Leave it all out on the course. Don't reach the end and find that you've been caught wanting.
And so race I did. The course is such that the first quarter is downhill, the second is flat along the Quabbin on cart paths, the third is back up (also paths), and finally the fast flat finish back into town center. And thank goodness for that downhill! I was able to relax and let my knots bounce around and try to work themselves out so that when I reached the bottom I could actually shuffle along quite nicely. Then came the first uphill! And I knew it was going to be a real test of my willpower.
For the little rollers I could manage ok. But, when it came to the big climb I had to power walk it. The knots in my calf meant that I had zero push-off with my toes. This meant that I couldn't run the steep stuff, try as I might. I did think about running up the hill backwards but the uneven surfaces made me think that I would just wind up on my ass and I wasn't sure if I would want to actually get back up if I could! So I trudged.
The happy news is that I wasn't alone. It's a BIG hill. And it's VERY STEEP. And I mean no disrespect to mid-field runners when I say this, but I was far enough back in the standings that walking isn't an uncommon practice in a race for the folks who were around me. Richard Bachman's story The Long Walk came to mind.
It also reminded me of the saying that goes something like:
Run if you can
Walk if you have to
Crawl if you must
But Finish.
Once I reached the top and started the cruise back into town center I was able to find my stride a little, which was a nice gift because what happened after I finished was my just reward.
Pain.
Just all out pain. It hurt just to sit there. I was able to get a brief massage from a therapist who was putting in her free hours to get her licence renewed. She was pretty rough with me (I'm sure she had no idea)... but I probably deserved it! And it only got worse. I spent the rest of the day immobile and laying on my side. Stairs were impossible! It hurts just to think about it.
But as any old sage will tell you; time heals all wounds. 24 hours later and I was able to walk around again. After all it's just muscle trauma. I'll live. And come back better prepared next year!
Meanwhile I have a new shirt I can wear with pride. Hell, I earned it.
