I had a very very special run planned for this morning...For weeks I'd been planning to go run the ski area. Ever since La Luz training ended I've had a desire to go back over there. I call it battered wife syndrome - I know he hurts me, but I luv him anyway!
I made myself in charge of training runs for the upcoming Colorado Outward Bound Relay, and decreed that today we'd be going back there for a little training run. It would mean getting up at 5am to meet up.
It happens that my body had other plans.
All week my right hip has been bugging me. This is an on-again off-again occurrence, probably related to piriformis syndrome. For many weeks, the pain has been in the background. With good stretching and proper attention, it doesn't bother me most of the time.
But this week something has shifted. All of a sudden, this week, I am all about The Big Gear on my bike. For reasons I don't understand, my cadence is happiest at a low grind in the biggest chain ring on the front. It's like I finally feel like I have all my power there, I don't know why.
I've had a big week on the bike - a really awesome powerful hill ride Tuesday, a time-trial on Thursday, and then yesterday I got up at 5:30 did a big ride (45-ish) with a group - lots of hills, and still big gear happy. And of course, lots of running too -- I followed up yesterday's ride with a little hill trot (3.5 mi), with legs of lead. The hip that has been niggling me all week was really really unhappy at the end of the day. I think The Big Gear is not my butt's best friend...
Plus, I've been utterly freaking exhausted all week, drag-assing out of bed every day. Even my husband, Superman, says "geez honey, you're doing a lot of volume this last couple of weeks."
Now there's a sign...The man who lives to run telling me I might be doing too much.
Luckily, I had a massage scheduled yesterday - and she said, "is there any way you can not run tomorrow?" My first response was No Way. This is my run and I really want it!
But the hip, she won't be quiet.
I thought hard about my choices:
* run anyway, make the hip worse, make the relay run an utterly miserable experience
-or-
* take a day off, get some sleep and maybe the hip will heal a bit, thus making the relay less of a death march.
I slept in - I got 9 glorious hours of uninterrupted sleep - and I feel crappy (it's probably the pollen count).
It seems obvious, and yet, why was it so hard to make this decision? And why was I green with envy, watching bikers come back from their long rides this morning?
Perhaps I need this tattooed on my person somewhere:
Live to train another day.
5 comments:
When in doubt, rest...not that the advice is particularly effective comming from someone who trains until things break and tear but I hear it is good advice.
Whatever ring you ride try and work towards a cadence of 90 to 95, it's a lot more efficient and taxes your legs a lot less leaving them much fresher for the run. Only grind away at the big gear when you are specifically doing a strength building ride.
We missed you today, chicky, but we would miss you more if you couldn't go to Colorado next week!!! Listen to your peers: notorious "overtrainers" are telling you to be kind and rest! See you up there Wednesday!
life starts in the big chain ring.
It's probably the chain ring. Like I said, i've been feeling like Bill the Cat. But watch your knees, chicky!xx
Takin' care of the J-Rat... it's a tough job, but you damn well better do it!
heh, look at me... I'm one to talk.
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