The Renegade

Not a good day today. I said last Tuesday's workout was bad, this was terrible for me. It wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't feeling so crappy. The workout was running to Willow Park (where we did the milers before), and then 2x1 mile @ 2 mile pace, followed by 3x800m @ 2 mile pace w/ push in last 200m. As soon as we started the first repeat, I knew that I was going to have a rough time. My legs felt heavy and I couldn't go fast without feeling super uncomfortable and tight. I was on the ground at the end of the first rep, and I would be on the ground after everyone. I don't remember splits since I'm writing this kind of late. At the end of mile 2 I felt kind of loose actually. 800 #1 was hard, but I still kept up with Damon till the line. On the next one I fell behind and I was the last one in our group to finish, even Zair, the freshman beat me. On the last rep I felt so sluggish and tired, and form was terrible the whole time. I had a good push at the end, even though it hurt. it was my slowest repeat, a 3 flat. I was definetley on the ground after that one. I was lying on my back, by eyes closed, and I was hyperventilating, coughing, and wheezing. (no asthma problem, I was just really having a tough time). This is a more extreme version of what I was doing each time, and I think what made the workout about twice as hard was when I finally stood up, everyone else had left me on the ground and started walking back to the start, without even looking the other way. That's what made it super tough mentally, although I did get support from a couple people. I'd have to say that that's the worst workout I've ever had. After the last rep the calf pain came back and I was limping. I tried to start running again, but it just wouldn't happen. So ended up having to walk the mile back to the school. That was tougher then running ever would've been. I felt so naked in a way just walking in my workout clothes.  Every time a car passed I would think they were judging me because I was walking. But I'm sure nobody even paid attention. I felt super distant from the team today. I hope I don't feel like that ever again. It looks like I'm not running this week, so tomorrow I'll cross train.

30 min. on the eliptical. The lightning warning came on, so the rest of the team was in there, too. On the treadmills and on the bikes. It was nice to not have to do it alone.

No workout, I went with the team to our tri-meet at Box Elder. I wish I could have run the course.

I went to the Bear River meet with the team today to watch, and then for some dumb reason while walking the course I decided I would try racing. So I changed into my trainers (which I just happened to have with me) I started jogging a little and I was limping, but overtime the limp sort of went away. The race started and I felt sluggish from the start. I did okay on the first hill, but Damon was already out of my reach of speed. So two huge hills later, I crested the third hill and I didn't have anything else left in me (I was probably going at about an 8 minute pace) so I dropped out because all this race was going to do was put bad time on my record and more pain in my body. Worthless pain, not good workout pain (this would have left me worse off than it would have done me good) It just so happened that where I dropped out was as far from the starting area as you could possibly get, so I walked back, over half a mile at least. Pretty soon the calf pain started to come back worse than it was before. That was a dumb idea, but I learned from  it. Now I know how much harder it is to run when you haven't prepared fro it during the day, and I also know that that is the hardest course that I 've ever ran on, and I've never even heard of it before now. 

I tried running but I could tell from the start that it was a no-go, so I spent 15 minutes on the eliptical.  (would've stayed longer if I didn't have to leave at 4). Talked to coach before I went to the weight room and he took a look at my leg and pretty much confirmed that it was just a muscle strain, which rules out shin splints, tendonitis and a tibial stress fracture. I'm so glad that it's not a bone problem. Now I've just really gotta hope that I can be in racing shape next friday at region. I've been on varsity all season and I'm not about to let this injury knock me off for our most important race.