The Pain Cave

During the interview with Shalane Flanagan the topic of cross training came up. While I love to hear all about the training of the athletes I admire, I found the next question to be even more interesting. A member of the media group asked about Shalane's tolerance for pain and how she can push herself through moments when her brain is screaming, "STOP!"

See for yourself!

I remember when I first started running and I would wonder, "Is that supposed to hurt?" There were aches in my shins, my calves, my knees, my hips and basically every part of my body. I vividly recall my first case of Illiotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) and not being able to walk up and down stairs after my first half marathon. I was truly worried that I'd damaged myself beyond repair and ended my running career before it ever got started.

I found Shalane's response truly comforting. She can get past it because she's been there in practice. I may not be busting out 15 400 meter repeats on the track once a week or tempo runs at a 5 minute mile but I do push myself. Sometimes my lungs start to burn, literally burn. My heart starts to beat so loud I wonder if it might just quit. My leg muscles throb and, when I finally stop, shake with the effort they've just put out. I've spent sleepless nights tossing and turning because I can't shake the cramps and pains that are wracking my body, especially after an ultra.

I think one of the reasons I was able to PR at Marshall was because I have wrecked myself beyond good sense at other points in my training and racing. I was able to pace it better because I know what each effort level feels like and how long I can sustain it. The same thing with the Baker 50 Mile. I didn't take 53 minutes off my time by running myself into the ground but by knowing my body inside and out.

Sometimes you have to push past what you think you can endure to find out where your limits really lie. And then you push those limits out a little further every time you train and have to find them all over again.