Patience...
Mistake #1: ..."Yeah, I'm going to run around Rundle...It'll be great!" At the time it seemed like a 'fun' idea...After a week of pounding the pavement in Halifax I arrived back home hungry to tackle the mountains - and I did. With barely 70% recovery on my hamstring, I decided to run around one of the local mountains, Mt Rundle, a circuit that totals close to 50km. The run actually went quite well, and although I started to feel the impact after 3hrs, I still maintained a good pace and made it back home in 4h15min (excluding a short 'soak' in the Bow River to cool off the legs). My body was tired - yes, but all that mattered was that I was back!
Mistake #2: The next day, I went for a shorter run in the afternoon with my Lanny to preview the Canmore Challenge race course - He had planned intervals, and despite my better judgement, I decided to tag along...My body was obviously still tired, but I figured I could keep it under threshold and get a feel for the race course I would be racing on. The first few intervals were rough as I literally felt like I was pulling a piano but then it got better. About 45min into my workout I started to feel a bit of knee pain but pushed on. At the hour mark I stopped and called it a day...
Mistake #3: With a full rest day under my belt, my knee felt better so I decided to do my final prep for the race. I actually felt pretty good and looked forward to pushing the body. I teamed up with the local Ultimate Running Club for company and kept my workout on the flats to focus on speed. After a short warmup it was time to start: 5X 2min w/ 2min rest. No problem, a good set of short intervals to spike up the speed. After 3 intervals my knee flared up...not good. But I pushed on. After the next interval I was in pain...not good. I pushed on again...I never finished the last interval and ended up walking home - barely making it before a torrential downpour - It seemed fitting.
The buildup of scar tissue had tightened up the hamstring muscle which resulted in the development of bursitis at its attachment point on the inside of the knee. Despite non-stop treatment during the next 2 days, it was too little too late - I would have to sit out of my 3rd race this year. The Canmore Challenge came and went...while I stood on the sidelines to watch.
With less than a month to go until PowderFace42, and just under 3 month until TransRockies Run...I can't afford anymore mistakes-
Patience Phil...Patience.
Mistake #1: ..."Yeah, I'm going to run around Rundle...It'll be great!" At the time it seemed like a 'fun' idea...After a week of pounding the pavement in Halifax I arrived back home hungry to tackle the mountains - and I did. With barely 70% recovery on my hamstring, I decided to run around one of the local mountains, Mt Rundle, a circuit that totals close to 50km. The run actually went quite well, and although I started to feel the impact after 3hrs, I still maintained a good pace and made it back home in 4h15min (excluding a short 'soak' in the Bow River to cool off the legs). My body was tired - yes, but all that mattered was that I was back!
Mistake #2: The next day, I went for a shorter run in the afternoon with my Lanny to preview the Canmore Challenge race course - He had planned intervals, and despite my better judgement, I decided to tag along...My body was obviously still tired, but I figured I could keep it under threshold and get a feel for the race course I would be racing on. The first few intervals were rough as I literally felt like I was pulling a piano but then it got better. About 45min into my workout I started to feel a bit of knee pain but pushed on. At the hour mark I stopped and called it a day...
Mistake #3: With a full rest day under my belt, my knee felt better so I decided to do my final prep for the race. I actually felt pretty good and looked forward to pushing the body. I teamed up with the local Ultimate Running Club for company and kept my workout on the flats to focus on speed. After a short warmup it was time to start: 5X 2min w/ 2min rest. No problem, a good set of short intervals to spike up the speed. After 3 intervals my knee flared up...not good. But I pushed on. After the next interval I was in pain...not good. I pushed on again...I never finished the last interval and ended up walking home - barely making it before a torrential downpour - It seemed fitting.
The buildup of scar tissue had tightened up the hamstring muscle which resulted in the development of bursitis at its attachment point on the inside of the knee. Despite non-stop treatment during the next 2 days, it was too little too late - I would have to sit out of my 3rd race this year. The Canmore Challenge came and went...while I stood on the sidelines to watch.
With less than a month to go until PowderFace42, and just under 3 month until TransRockies Run...I can't afford anymore mistakes-
Patience Phil...Patience.
4 comments:
Hey Phil, I'm wondering if you ran Rundle by yourself and normally do trail runs on your own? I'm asking more and more of you hardcore trail runners on your take on the whole bear situation (i'm super paranoid!). I'm trying to get more reassurance that it's not a big deal to go by yourself if you have bearspray/bangers etc. I hope your hamstring/knee is ready to go for Powderface. I'm pretty pumped for it!
Hey Deb, I tend to run with others, but mostly for company rather than as a bear deterrent - That said, a good conversation will often do the trick to scare any wildlife away! If I do run alone, I will usually carry my bear spray as precaution and will yell out "Hey Bear" when I either coming up on a blind corner, or see signs of bear activity. Regardless, it's OK to be a bit paranoid as it will help you stay sharp and aware of your surroundings. Look for signs, if you can't see far ahead of you, yell every 20-30sec and listen - By following these simple guidelines, I've only ever encountered about 1 bear/year in all my runs - and most of the time I spot them before they spot me, allowing me to go back on my tracks without being seen. See you at PowderFace!
pv
So great to hear that other runners take on pains by running through it and persisting in the following days. Blame the long plane ride for the hamstrings and get back out there.
Great blog, Phil.
TC
P.S. PowderFace 42 sounds great.
Injuries .... yep, that's a hard one to tolerate but at this point, you have no choice but to allow yourself to heal. We're on the edge of summer - don't blow it! There's way too many amazing mountain trails to be run.
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