Training, Healing,
Learning….Repeat!
Training
As I mentioned before, I am an accidental runner. Although I had successfully finished 19
marathons when I decided to run an ultra and 20 before I took on the Oriflamme
challenge, I had never really intended to be a runner or had any instruction
how to run. I told myself if I was going
to be serious I needed to hire a running coach to help me work on my form. I immediately started searching online for a
coach. I found a few really highly recommended coaches in San Diego. I was going to contact one of them, but
something stopped me. Every Wednesday
evening during my CrossFit workouts I I admired his patience with them and saw them
gradually improving with each week. I started
thinking to myself why I am going to ask a stranger to work with me, when I had
known and worked out with Paul for 7 years.
I admired and respected him, and not only was he held in high esteem by
the CrossFit community, he himself was a triathlete.
had been watching Paul, our coach and
owner of the gym, work with a group of young athletes.
Nervously one night I told Paul about my goal and asked him
if he was interested in working individually with me—not only to help me with
my running form, but also help me work on my injuries. I was anxious about asking him because I
knew he worked with very skilled top performing athletes. To my surprise he accepted the challenge. I signed up for 5 sessions. Five sessions
turned to ten sessions, which turned to 15 sessions….now I’ve lost count.
Almost every Sunday morning since that night I’ve met with Paul
for personal training sessions. He has intuition and the patience of a saint.
True to CrossFit form, no two sessions
have been the same. Paul tailors each one of my sessions to how I’m feeling and
the goal for the day. The only pattern
I’ve noticed is after an intense warm-up when I feel like I am ready to die,
Paul says to me “now we work out!” As I
reflect and think back I realize the sessions have been designed to help heal
my injuries, increase my coordination and flexibility, strengthen my core, develop
or I should say regain the strength I’ve lost during the time I’ve been
healing, improve my running form, and increase my endurance and speed. Paul helps me focus on conditioning my whole
body. After all, what’s the use of great
tires if the engine won’t start?
Healing
Along with personal training sessions I started physical
therapy to help address my injuries. Hindsight
is 20/20. Looking back now I probably
should have healed my injuries before I started training, but I am stubborn
that way. I had set a goal and a developed timeline for myself, I was
determined to give it my all and just and see what happened.
I tried getting help through my healthcare provider, but
just didn’t feel I was getting the treatment I needed. While I was waiting for my doctor to
recommend physical therapy, I found Pluta Therapy through the recommendation of
a friend. Nataly and her team were a
perfect match for my needs.
About three weeks before the race I was really worried and
ready to wave the white flag. Unfortunately, during a short 11-mile training
run, my tendonitis flared up around mile 4.
I knew if I didn’t get better I would not finish Oriflamme, especially
since hills were kryptonite for my tendonitis.
I shared my nervousness with Nataly and Katie and they put healing into
overdrive. Their holistic, full-body
approach helped me heal.
Learning
Oriflamme was not only my first ultra marathon, but also my
first trail race. As a veteran marathoner I had road races dialed in. Not only
did I have the perfect shoe, I knew my limits and what my body could handle. I
knew how to estimate my finish time based on a worst-case scenario.
Although I was an avid hiker, trail racing was completely
new to me. I immediately went into geek
mode and started doing my homework. I researched
everything there is to know about ultra marathons and trail running. I read
every race blog I could find about the Oriflamme 50k and talked to friends who
had ran it. I read all of the reviews on
trail shoes, GPS watches, gaiters, hydration packs, nutrition, and
headlamps. I joined a group on Facebook
which virtually introduced me to veteran trail runners who not only provided
invaluable information but also gave me tremendous inspiration.
I learned a lot in a very short time. Some of the most
valuable lessons I learned—trail runs are slower than road races, the recovery
time is quicker, and every race is different.
I got a crash course in anatomy and physiology through my personal
training and physical therapy sessions. I
also learned Tailwind is an absolute must, tart cherry juice works miracles on
inflammation, no one shoe is right for every foot (I went through three pairs before I found a
good fit) and well, when you’re in nature and nature calls you become very intimate
with a bush. I don’t know why that was a big surprise or where I got my sudden
sense of modesty. For goodness sakes, I was raised in the back woods of
Missouri. I spent most of my childhood
roaming off the trails through the forest by my house.
Training—Hitting the Trails
In addition to my personal training sessions with Paul I
incorporated a 30-mile run, and a few 20 mile trail runs. I admit was a little nervous being a single
woman running the trails alone. I was
worried about being on my own and the possibility of encountering a rattlesnake
or a mountain lion. Before one of my
training runs I watched the episode of Six Feet Under where a man was running
on a trail and got mauled by a cougar. Of
course, after I saw that I added “cougars” to long list of topics to learn
about. I was also worried about bumping into a shady
human character. Once I started putting my fears into perspective I felt more
comfortable. On the road I always had to
contend to the risk of the random drunk, distracted or texting driver. Pepper spray in hand and all geared up, I let
go of my anxieties and ran.
I loved the trails, but the first two long runs gave me a
swift kick in the booty! I broke the
cardinal rules of running by trying out new shoes. I had only tested them out on
the road for a few short miles before I ventured out on my 20 milers. I know people swear by zero drop shoes, but
they were not a good match for my high arched feet. I felt the sensation of every rock shoot all
of the way up from my foot way through my legs. It felt like what I would
imagine a bolt of lightning would feel like. The gaiters I had chosen weren’t
much better. Although I have learned to
embrace my German legs (aka huge ankles and calves), I quickly discovered one
size does not fit all. The gaiters dug
into my ankles. I ended up taking them
off around mile 7. Needless to say, I was completely battered when I got home
from that run! I fed my three beagles,
crawled into bed without dinner for myself and slept until the next
morning.
Of course, I did not learn one single lesson from my first
training trail run. I traded in my shoes and once again I only broke them in during shorter runs on the
road. I set out on another trail run
without trying out my shoes on the trails.
Although the experience was not quite as bad as the first one, it wasn’t
very pleasant. To top it off, I ran out of water. Once again I wobbled home defeated,
dehydrated, and sore.
The third time is truly a charm! I found success with a pair of men’s Hoka One
One Challengers. (I love saying One One,
because just saying one once is not enough).
I also found a pair of gaiters that didn’t feel like they were going to
cut my foot off and Garmin finally released the Fenix 3 HR.
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