Two days after my Ultra/Marathon weekend I feel both like crap and absolutely fantastic at the same time. Currently I have a massive head cold and my nose is dripping like the leaky faucet in my bathroom that my landlord doesn't seem to know how to fix. My sinus area feels like I imagine the concrete feels when it gets jackhammered, except the job isn't getting done so the jackhammering must continue. At work today I couldn't make it through more than one bill at a time without needing to run to the sink to sneeze and wash my hands. I haven't been able to get more than 5 hours sleep the last two nights. Working at 9 am in Kelowna when I was just leaving from Vancouver at 4 pm the day before after my running weekend was not a good idea at all. I couldn't drive more than 45 minutes at a time without needing to go for a walk or splash water on my face to keep myself awake, and then I couldn't sleep well and I didn't get enough sleep. On Monday my quads and every little muscle I didn't know I had in my ankles hurt like I had just had a balpeen hammer rammed into all of them over the entire area of them. Monday night, still couldn't sleep. Tuesday, went to work for a four hour shift at 8 am, and somehow ended up staying lat for someone else, boy did I regret that decision. I was like a zombie walking around.
I think perhaps running in hard rain in Vancouver wasn't the best. Every time I go to the coast I take Kelowna weather clothes, and I think I paid for that mistake with a cold this time.
But on the other side of the coin....
I was running up the stairs in my house today and had very, very, very little lingering muscle soreness!! Heck yeah! Even my tibialis anterior on my left leg isn't bothering me (knock on wood). The fact that I was able to complete the two races I did, and feel so great in my body after just floors me right now. I feel like I am on an extended runner's high. Just super duper!
A couple things to think about for next time I plan major races.... know the course and the details of the course in advance of the race. Don't assume anything. Not knowing that the picnic area at the start line of the race on Saturday would be used for nutrition was plain stupid; running on only gatorade for 50 km when I could have had insanely better nutrition was ridiculously silly of me. I shall not repeat that again. Prepare for all weather possibilities, if that means wearing layers that I am willing to shed and lose then so be it, I did that when I ran the Kelowna Marathon last year and for some reason forgot to do so in Vancouver, and yet it was worse weather in Vancouver.
A couple pictures from the Saturday race..... were meant to be posted at the end, but I can't for the life of my aching insides figure out how to put them where I want to.
I usually keep all my pictures from running races together and I was looking at some old ones. I realize in retrospect that I had some cankle action happening for a couple years recently, but no more. That really amuses me.
My April totals:
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Running: 48 km (3 runs)
Road Biking: 20 km (2 trips)
Mountain Biking: 70.93 km (2 trips at Myra Bellevue)
Gym: 13 times at the University Gym. Mostly doing ellyptical, bike machine, rowing and weights on core and upper body.
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April was spent trying to make sure that the bulk of my exercise was low impact to ensure my tibialis anterior recovered as much as possible in anticipation of this last weekends running. It was very difficult to force myself to slow down. Having a busy month with school work in six courses and having to study for final exams in five of those was helpful in forcing me to slow down. Now that summer is here I need to make sure to mix in trips to the gym for strength training or else I will just spend all my running and biking time up at Myra Bellevue park and completely neglect my muscle training which makes my running and biking so much more enjoyable.
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Keep on running.... and learn something from every time you run.
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Nazzer
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