For three weeks I’ve done nothing but walking. My doctor
had begrudgingly given me permission to go to an eight hour race I had signed up
for as long as I was smart about it. I realized that was not a possibility (you know, being smart) and
even decided not to go to THAT! He was thrilled by my grown up decision. And as the mandatory three weeks of only walking came to a close and I started to
get nervous.
Is three weeks enough?
How do I know if it isn’t working?
How do I try to be a sensible runner? (turns out that people
that run ultras don’t tend to have a good gauge on sensible)
Will I remember how to run?
I came up with a game plan or at least something that
resembled a game plan. A few years ago I started running by the Maffetone
rules. Don’t know about it? Check out this link:
It’s what I used while training for my first 50k. It was one
of the most excruciating (you will NEVER run up a hill) things I’ve been
through. But, I felt GOOD after my runs, I saw marked improvement, and I ran with
more comfort and confidence. That was a couple of years ago. I went back and
took the test again to figure my Maffetone heartrate. With my new age and shiny new injury history, I was
horrified at my low low low low low did I mention low target heartrate. Forget
hills, will I be able to run at all on my runs while trying to keep my
heartrate THIS low?
Reality check… I have to be SMART when I start running
again. If a heartrate alarm (that I actually listen to) keeps me in check, then
I need to do it! ARGH! LOGIC! I really don’t want to screw up the progress I’ve
made because my dumb brain wants to go back to the dumb habits of ignoring my
body’s signs (or red alerts as the case was). So, low heartrate it is!
And today, with my heartrate alarm set, I set out with my pup
for three miles expecting to do a little running and a lot of walking. And the
weirdest thing happened….
The running that I did was super fun and duh, of course I
didn’t forget how to run. What kind of dork has that thought? Oops. But the
weird thing is…
I immediately started to mourn the loss of my morning walks.
What? Who would have expected that? Tell a runner not to run
and they will make up a thousand reasons why it’s ok that they run. And
typically they will ignore doctor’s orders and run anyway. I did when my doc
said no running for 3 weeks. But, when I committed to walking, I realized, I
really like it! I’ve been walking with one of my dogs in the wee hours of the
morning. And I’ve been stargazing and sunrise walking and really enjoying the stillness
of the predawn hours. When I ran today it was so different! I couldn’t just
crane my neck back to look at the stars and all of the sudden I remembered I
need to be wearing a headlamp if I’m moving faster and everything seemed so
different!
Where does that leave me? Well, I’d say that I suppose I should
try to find a way to enjoy both things (I mean aside from the fact that I’ll
still be walking a TON during my runs).
Did the run go ok? I think so, but I’ll have to try to pay
attention to how I feel in the next few days to get a real handle on it. Baby
steps….. Slow baby steps…. At a low heartrate.
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