Not much to review this week I’m afraid. After pulling up lame on last Wednesday’s hill workout I haven’t been able to run at all. To keep the fitness ticking over I hit the bike hard on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, but hopes of running the 12-HR ATR on Saturday seemed to be fading away.
Even an intense chiropractor session on Tuesday and a vigorous sports massage on Wednesday couldn’t provide the miracle recovery I was looking for, but as race day approached, the buttock felt a little better and I decided I’d line up and take my chances anyway. If things were bad, I could pull out very early on. If things were so-so, I could run it one mile at a time and go from there.
Saturday morning soon arrived and I knew as soon as the alarm sounded at 4:30am that the race was probably a no-go. However, stupid me decided to line up and start the 12-HR ATR anyway. The first few steps down to the trail head were painful and within no time at all I’d stepped to the side of the trail to let the other runners through. I wished Ally good luck, then walked gingerly back to the start/finish area to hand in my timing chip and explain the situation.
Despite being extremely disappointed at not being able to race, I thoroughly enjoyed the day and had great fun crewing for Ally and cheering for Andy O. and the other happy ultrarunners.
Next week sees the return of some cross training, and hopefully a visit with a local Physical Therapist. I’m keen to work things out and get back to regular training, but also need to figure out a way to keep the buttock pain at bay.
Happy miles, everyone!