I've gone through quite a range of emotions over the past four days of rest from training (Thursday through Sunday).
Thursday, the first rest day, was fine, as I usually have one day of rest in a week, anyway. But Friday was greatly frustrating. My leg wasn't feeling any better (I know, I know--I hadn't even given it two days of rest), and tiny seeds of doubt about running the marathon had planted themselves in my brain. To add to the frustration, I learned rather inconveniently that my gym membership on campus had ended and was in need of renewal. So when I arrived to take a Muscle Madness class and was told I needed to renew (which I hadn't been notified of), I lost my civility and started mouthing off to the desk attendants (who were, in fairness to me, pretty much the opposite of helpful). Instead of helping me, they told me I could renew over at a kiosk. I wasn't prepared to make the decision to renew, and I didn't want to pay the daily fee of $10. So I stood in the middle of the entranceway unable to make a decision and fuming inside at how things weren't going my way. I ultimately decided to just go ahead and renew for a year, to get the cheapest rate, and I did as I was told and filled in all of my information at the kiosk. But when I got to the payment screen, the option to do payroll deduction wasn't there. So I walked over to the attendants to complain that I couldn't even choose the payment option I wanted. Only then was I told that I couldn't select that option at a kiosk, and I would have to go inside a service rep's office to renew. At that point, I wasn't going to have time to renew, change out of my work clothes, and make the class by starting time. So I told this to the attendant, who replied that she couldn't just let me in then to pay later; it was policy. Those last words, which sounded like an excuse for I'm too lazy to think about how to best serve you, so here's my robotic answer, really made me boil. I muttered something about how stupid the situation was, grabbed my gym bag, and stormed out, pushing the door open as hard as I could so they knew how upset I was. A bit childish, no?
Once more, I got into my car and cried. I had carefully planned to take that class, not just because of the time frame, but because it was something I could do without hurting my leg. I thought of what I could possibly do within an hour's time, before I had to go to my sister's and then drive to Orlando. The bike. I had just enough time to go home, get on the bike, and ride for 10 miles and still have time for a quick shower afterward. So that is what I did. And I felt so much better afterward. The bike is starting to get a little more comfortable, but I have a ways to go. I am eager to do a longer ride and see if it makes things feel better or worse.
After arriving at my dad's house in Orlando, I had planned to go to bed somewhat early and wake up early for a long walk. But that didn't happen. I was consumed by the cable television channels--a luxury I don't have at home--and I stayed up late watching shows on the Food Network, a guilty pleasure. And then, of course, I slept in and didn't go for my walk. But I woke up, once again, with pain in my leg, so I figured a long walk may not have been a good idea anyway. I spent the rest of the day preparing for my niece's one-year birthday party and then celebrating with loved ones.
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by tiny people ranging from six months old to nearly three years old. It was wonderful! I loved hanging out with all the little babes and seeing family and friends. But in the back of my mind, I was worrying about my leg and whether I'd be able to run the marathon in a few weeks.
Luckily, I had one more great distraction to keep me from brooding over my leg. After arriving back in Tampa, I took a short nap and then headed out to see my good friend Shannon to celebrate her birthday. We went to dinner in downtown Dunedin and had wonderful Mexican food and good wine and conversation. It had been long overdue.
After coming home from that visit, I was wiped out. I went to bed and then woke up around 7am. I thought about going out on the bike, but the longer I thought about it, the more tired I became, so I went back to bed and slept until 11am. I can't recall the last time I slept in that late in the morning. It felt really, really good. And I also noticed that my leg wasn't throbbing with pain like it had been the past few mornings. I had new hope for a timely recovery.
I spent the rest of Sunday taking it easy, riding my cruiser bike around town and getting some editing done. I went to the yoga in the park class that evening, and I was a little disappointed that some of the standing postures made my leg hurt a little, just from using the muscles. But I figured that a little bit of usage wouldn't hurt it any further.
Now it's Monday, the start of week 13 of training. I'm going to give the leg a couple more days off before trying to run on it. I'm getting antsy and feel like I need a good, long workout. But I'll try to get that on the bike this evening. I packed it in my car specifically so I could go from work to Flatwoods and try to get 22 miles, or two loops. We'll see how I do.
Thursday, the first rest day, was fine, as I usually have one day of rest in a week, anyway. But Friday was greatly frustrating. My leg wasn't feeling any better (I know, I know--I hadn't even given it two days of rest), and tiny seeds of doubt about running the marathon had planted themselves in my brain. To add to the frustration, I learned rather inconveniently that my gym membership on campus had ended and was in need of renewal. So when I arrived to take a Muscle Madness class and was told I needed to renew (which I hadn't been notified of), I lost my civility and started mouthing off to the desk attendants (who were, in fairness to me, pretty much the opposite of helpful). Instead of helping me, they told me I could renew over at a kiosk. I wasn't prepared to make the decision to renew, and I didn't want to pay the daily fee of $10. So I stood in the middle of the entranceway unable to make a decision and fuming inside at how things weren't going my way. I ultimately decided to just go ahead and renew for a year, to get the cheapest rate, and I did as I was told and filled in all of my information at the kiosk. But when I got to the payment screen, the option to do payroll deduction wasn't there. So I walked over to the attendants to complain that I couldn't even choose the payment option I wanted. Only then was I told that I couldn't select that option at a kiosk, and I would have to go inside a service rep's office to renew. At that point, I wasn't going to have time to renew, change out of my work clothes, and make the class by starting time. So I told this to the attendant, who replied that she couldn't just let me in then to pay later; it was policy. Those last words, which sounded like an excuse for I'm too lazy to think about how to best serve you, so here's my robotic answer, really made me boil. I muttered something about how stupid the situation was, grabbed my gym bag, and stormed out, pushing the door open as hard as I could so they knew how upset I was. A bit childish, no?
Once more, I got into my car and cried. I had carefully planned to take that class, not just because of the time frame, but because it was something I could do without hurting my leg. I thought of what I could possibly do within an hour's time, before I had to go to my sister's and then drive to Orlando. The bike. I had just enough time to go home, get on the bike, and ride for 10 miles and still have time for a quick shower afterward. So that is what I did. And I felt so much better afterward. The bike is starting to get a little more comfortable, but I have a ways to go. I am eager to do a longer ride and see if it makes things feel better or worse.
After arriving at my dad's house in Orlando, I had planned to go to bed somewhat early and wake up early for a long walk. But that didn't happen. I was consumed by the cable television channels--a luxury I don't have at home--and I stayed up late watching shows on the Food Network, a guilty pleasure. And then, of course, I slept in and didn't go for my walk. But I woke up, once again, with pain in my leg, so I figured a long walk may not have been a good idea anyway. I spent the rest of the day preparing for my niece's one-year birthday party and then celebrating with loved ones.
(The theme was Alice in ONEderland, hence the Alice dress.)
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by tiny people ranging from six months old to nearly three years old. It was wonderful! I loved hanging out with all the little babes and seeing family and friends. But in the back of my mind, I was worrying about my leg and whether I'd be able to run the marathon in a few weeks.
Luckily, I had one more great distraction to keep me from brooding over my leg. After arriving back in Tampa, I took a short nap and then headed out to see my good friend Shannon to celebrate her birthday. We went to dinner in downtown Dunedin and had wonderful Mexican food and good wine and conversation. It had been long overdue.
After coming home from that visit, I was wiped out. I went to bed and then woke up around 7am. I thought about going out on the bike, but the longer I thought about it, the more tired I became, so I went back to bed and slept until 11am. I can't recall the last time I slept in that late in the morning. It felt really, really good. And I also noticed that my leg wasn't throbbing with pain like it had been the past few mornings. I had new hope for a timely recovery.
I spent the rest of Sunday taking it easy, riding my cruiser bike around town and getting some editing done. I went to the yoga in the park class that evening, and I was a little disappointed that some of the standing postures made my leg hurt a little, just from using the muscles. But I figured that a little bit of usage wouldn't hurt it any further.
Now it's Monday, the start of week 13 of training. I'm going to give the leg a couple more days off before trying to run on it. I'm getting antsy and feel like I need a good, long workout. But I'll try to get that on the bike this evening. I packed it in my car specifically so I could go from work to Flatwoods and try to get 22 miles, or two loops. We'll see how I do.
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