Herniated Disc by the time I finally got it sorted out. Epidural injections, PT, Massage therapy, yoga, stretching, A couple of animal sacrifices and burning the yule log later and I'm at, maybe, seventy-five to eighty percent.
Looming ahead was Disney. Of course as many of you know Mary Lou and I go down every year for Marathon weekend...she does the half marathon on Saturday and I do both The half and the marathon on Sunday. It makes me Goofy.
Well, I'm Perfectly Goofy. I've done all eight so far and that was the goal of this trip, to head down and grab number eight...I just wasn't ready to end the streak at 7. Bad back aside I confronted (puns intended) the bottom line:
Would be going to Disney with almost no training. Yikes. Double yikes actually since I'd be doing two events.
After getting my diagnosis, I was able to maintain my fitness on turbo trainer...riding the bike in the basement and keeping up my cardio vascular fitness. The best way to keep some semblance of leg and running fitness was to walk. which I did a lot of. About a month out from Disney I started adding in some running for short bits. Not much, but enough. Over did it and back slide some. Got back on it and was able to get in one 13 miler before race weekend a walk run split of maybe 60/40.
Don't try this at home.
I know what I'm capable of. I know my limits. Also, I had a plan. To basically walk the events ( Can walk a 14 minute mile) with running breaks and bail out if things got as painful as MCM. Wear my Hokas. ( running shoe with super cushioning that I've been using for Ultra marathons recently) As it turned out I ran a bit more than expected and was able to maintain 13 minute miles. Some time out for pictures with characters of course.
Just took a week completely off from running and cycling and now ready to crank it back up. My back gets cranky from time to time but it was a relief to hear from so many that discs heal and they have returned to running without a problem after suffering the same injury, which, by the way, is not running related but often caused by muscle imbalance. Working on it.
I guess the upshot of this is I took a risk in going to Disney and attempting the races. I got through it easily.
Runner, know thyself.
The picture is of the Goofy Challenge medal on the left and the 20th Anniversary marathon medal on the right.
