I can't believe I am getting on a plane tomorrow for Boston. It's already here and I have a lot of reservations about this race and my performance. I have so many doubts about this race. I am fairly confident I will finish and under 4hrs (which sounds, so slow to me), but the idea of running a PR feels like a stretch.
When work started a little over a month ago, it really started to cut into my running and I struggled to get in the miles. I did get in three 20-milers in prep for Boston, but I feel extremely run down and sluggish right now. I worked about 46-47 hrs this week and the last two nights got home around 1-2 am. I ran 2 times last week and 2 this week. And then there was the crash...
Having not run at all until Saturday last week, I opted to go for a 25 mile bike ride on Sudnay with a short run after, but on my way back with only 2 miles to go I crashed. There was medium traffic through a construction area and as I tried to navigate through it a nice sized pothole presented itself in my path. I couldn't avoid it so I tried my best to bunny hop it, but I didn't get enough air and the tire just missed clearing the edge. I flipped over the front end with my feet locked into the pedals. I felt my right thigh slam into my aero bars and careened down the pavement on my right side. I laid there for a few seconds stunned and then I got up fearing a driver may have thought I had killed myself. I could tell I felt off, but the adrenaline and shock was minimizing most of the pain. I fixed my back brake and assessed the damage. It was rideable, so I headed home. My right elbow was jacked up and throbbing really bad. I was having a hard time straightening it and couldn't sit in the aero position at all. I arrived home without any further mishaps and went in the house to assess the damage.
I had some road rash down my right arm and on my left butt cheek, but my right leg took the brunt of the damage. I had a HUGE bruise on my right quad and a few small ones behind my leg, but the worst was my right shin. It was swollen and had a greenish-blue hue to it. I poured alcohol down my right arm and it felt like someone took a blow torch to it. As for the shin and thigh, I could only ice it and hope for the best. I have been pretty sore all week and when I run I feel pretty stiff, but it is doable, so I am hoping the discomfort will be minimal on Monday. I have been taking some naprosyn, but truth is I just really need some rest.
I almost slipped on the stairs and fell down them today too. I am usually not this clumsy, but perhaps I have an unseen dark cloud following me. I really hope it doesn't follow me to Boston and by some luck I can pull this off.
I went for a little "pep talk run" today and although I felt like absolute crap I berated myself a little for being so scared and such a wuss. I told myself "if you step up to the line, you better stop being such a cry baby and run like a motherf*cker or stay the F home." I am still going to run hard. It just might not reflect a PR. I am going to try, but I never know what I am gonna get until race day itself. The only thing I know is I will fight tooth and nail to the line, just like I do at every marathon.
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