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.

Long Run Leisure

On Thursday I posted about how awesome it is to be a third of the way done with my training plan. I thoroughly enjoyed my rest day Friday. I took it easy at work, went out to lunch with coworkers, and really did nothing of consequence Friday night. It was wonderful!

Saturday was a little crazier. Every summer our neighborhood has a community yard sale. This year the weather didn't cooperate and it was misting and overcast all morning. We still took a chance and put out all the junk treasures we had to offer. Shane's parents also set up with us. Between getting up at 6 am, setting up all our stuff, and sitting in the drizzle for hours I was already worn out. Shane took the opportunity to advertise our race to all the people browsing plus the local churches and businesses that were offering food and refreshments for the bargain hunters.

Ash and 'baby' at the park.

When Shane returned I went to get up from my chair and something in my left knee popped. I almost fell over and caught myself on the edge of our table. There was no pain but I knew something wasn't right. I waited a little bit longer before doing my scheduled 8 miler. It was supposed to be at marathon pace but I ended up running 5 miles pretty slowly and then doing the last 3 near tempo pace to come out almost at marathon pace for the average. My knee was still stiff and a little tender last night. After everything I gave up and went to bed at 8pm. I guess I needed it because I slept for almost 13 hours!

Today I felt better and my knee was stiff but no longer aching. I figured I'd give my long run a try. My husband kindly agreed to take Ash grocery shopping with him while Gem stayed and played at home. Being that Gem is 7 she can easily entertain herself for three hours so this worked out well. I hit the treadmill and decided to break the run up into 4 mile segments. After each 4 mile portion I took a Gu and drank about 6-8oz of water before starting the next one. It helped me stay fueled and hydrated but it also helped me stay aware of my knee. After slowing down my knee would be stiff again and it took me 2-3 minutes to loosen it up. It never gave me any pain though or I was prepared to shut it down and miss mileage for the first time this cycle.

After I finished (in 2:54:49), Shane had already put away the groceries and made gnocchi for lunch. I wolfed down my portion and then drove down to the corner gas station to pick up some bagged ice. I had a feeling the 4 trays in our freezer wouldn't be enough today. Our hot water tank went out a few days ago and the new one is like super-powered or something. Even when our faucet is on fully cold the water is still warm. Even with 7 lbs of ice I only shivered for a minute before the water started to melt the ice and I warmed back up.

Yeah, I rock the Disney princess wash cloth!

Luckily, the ice bath seems to have done its job. My knee is no longer tight or tender. I took 2 Advil after my ice bath and then focused on rehydrating and staying moving. We took the kids on a walk to the park where we played for about an hour. Dinner was a quickly thrown-together pulled pork BBQ, corn on the cob, and salad. It's really amazing how quickly the weekends go now that my long runs take up a significant portion!

Do you take ice baths? Why or why not? And how do you stay connected with family and friends when you're devoting significant time to training?