Torture Report: Giving It All She’s Got & Playing Hard

(G): During the final minutes of my four-hour run on Sunday I was suffering. It had been a slog for the past 90 minutes and I was getting a little punchy. I started to giggle thinking “I’m giving it all she’s got, Captain!”

If you didn’t grow up with a Dad who’s a Trekkie, then this isn’t funny. But our Dad is/was a Star Trek fan and we’ve seen countless episodes when Scottie, the USS Enterprise de facto “mechanic,” had to rig up this supposedly highly technical spaceship to get them wherever they needed to go.

That was me on Sunday. I needed some help and I was giving it all I had!!

I got a kick out of it as I shared it with Swaggy J who was, as always, ahead of me. (please see last week’s rant for more details on that.)

All that to say, it’s been a tough week. I have come to the end of another training cycle and I am about to embark on 4 days of recovery! Hallelujah!
I’ve been dealing with some heel and foot arch discomfort since last Saturday. Not exactly what you want when you are trying to be a distance runner, you know?!

I changed my shoes during the week and opted for a more substantial, sturdier one and that helped but by mid-week it was clear I was going to need an intervention bigger than different shoes. So I made an appointment for acupuncture and Muscle Activation Technique. Both of these modalities have kept me in good working order for the last few years and I when I stay on it, they both keep me out of trouble.

But much like everyone else in the world — when the pain stops so do the appointments for a tune up.

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I got what I deserved. First, after running what felt like a 90-minute sprint on Saturday I went to acupuncture. I knew when I told my acupuncturist that I had foot pain that some of those needles would be making their way to the sole of my foot…. and I feared it. I’m not going to lie, a couple of them found some rough spots and I flinched upon their entry into my tissue. But really after a milli-second the pain is gone. And then sweet serenity of napping descends upon me. After that treatment I felt better but I knew after hours running the next day it would be worse for wear.

Thankfully, I already had my MAT appointment lined up for Monday. I was looking forward to getting my issues set straight. I wasn’t, however, looking forward to the “lecture” I might receive since it’s been months since I’ve been in. I am pain learner. What can I say?

When I don’t have pain, I don’t act. When I do have pain, it gets my attention and I act… eventually.

Good news is that I am not in too bad of shape. I got kudos for not waiting until I can no longer function before asking for help. Maybe I am learning after all! Second, I need to wear more cushioned shoes for now and especially when on pavement. I tend to lean toward a more minimal approach and it seems my heels are a tiny bit bruised. But the better news is I can keep running! Not that there was much chance that I wasn’t going to continue on. Again… pain learner.

I am refocused and dedicated to the stability training of the core, hips, pelvis. It’s all very exciting in my life.

Run. Eat. Stretch. Stabilize. Repeat.

As you know, I am giving it all she’s got.

(L) We have had beautiful weather all week and we just got back from 4 days in the mountains and it did not disappoint. We had absolutely gorgeous blue skies and temperatures that only rival the end of March in the mountains. I can barely call this a torture report with views like this for days on end.

I, too, gave it all I had this weekend, but it was more along the lines of playing hard. My legs were toast after our first day of skiing as we went from first to last chair. It was such a warm, sunny, bluebird day that nobody wanted to quit.

We also went hiking up my favorite trail until the snow caused us to turn back. Perhaps it’s time to invest in some snow shoes for our winter hikes.

The dogs weren’t too happy to find out we were turning around, but they rallied when they realized we were going around the entire lake. We only did about 4 miles, but I am pretty sure the pups did about 6 with all of their back and forth running. If only I had that same enthusiasm.

On the third night, the snow came and dropped about 9 inches of fresh powder at the ski area. And…it was another beautiful day. Powder, warm weather and no wind are like the trifecta of skiing and we had it all. What I didn’t have was the stamina to ski all day again. Skiing in fresh powder is fun, but my quads were screaming by 1:30.