30.5 weeks. That’s how long my last training cycle was- from kickoff through the Gobble Wobble 5k- my last race of 2016. If we count from the first week I ran of the cycle through my fall marathon, it was 28 weeks long. Guys, that’s a long time.
I’ll be honest, it was a rough training cycle and race season. I’m not sure I ever hit my mileage goal for a week. I had some big changes in my personal and professional life, I was super tired, I was dealing with an injury for over 3 months. My whole daily and weekly and monthly schedules shifted.
How I felt at the end of my run- ugh.
Dealing with bursitis revealed a weakness in my hips and a form problem. Ok, so I knew I had a form problem with my feet (thanks race photos) but didn’t understand the mechanics of why or how to correct it. Going to physical therapy 2 hours a week for a month helped me start to figure this out. I’m going to keep doing the exercises over the winter, and even icing my hip for a few more weeks. Next step is to look into form drills to help me make the necessary correction, not just for a few steps, or minutes, but for miles.
I committed to not registering for any spring/summer races until at least New Year’s. I also won’t run longer than 6 miles at a time until 2017 either. I haven’t taken a season away from racing since I started running in 2010. So it’s probably good for me to at least take 6 weeks to regroup, strengthen, rest, and think.
If I can dream a little here, I’d really like to get my half marathon under 2 hours. But I know that to work on speed, I need to improve my form, make sure the bursitis is fully gone, and do this smart. I don’t want to end up with the same, or a different, injury in the spring because I didn’t take rest and recovery seriously enough.
My fall races were up and down- one purposely slow half marathon, one painful half marathon, one pain-free but slower than I hoped marathon, and a new PR 5K. What a rollercoaster! I know my injury and inconsistency in training were major contributors to some disappointing races. But hitting a new PR in my 5K showed me that I can run faster, and I can keep improving.
Here’s to some rest and new adventures in the next training cycle and year!
I’m glad you’re doing physical therapy. We will have to try and get you into ice baths in 2017. :). Congrats on the 5K PR!
I know you can go sub-2. I think the rest is probably key – and getting the form stuff done and dealing with that hip will help so much!