“Embrace failure. Missteps and roadblocks are inevitable. They are an opportunity to learn and pivot with a new perspective.”

Monday 6/5
Supporting session day was on deck today, to the tune of a 12hr work day. My body was ready for a dropweek after cranking out 38 miles last week and that means it’s time to soak up all the sleep. I even had a nice turtle spying on me in the evening to get to bed and slow my roll.

Tuesday 6/6
A beautiful 98% of my sleep requirements meant I was ready to roll for the day, or so I thought. I had speedwork on deck, but changed it to an easy boring slow run. My recovery lately outside of training life has been less than stellar and my L hip was paying the price. That’s one thing I have learned: the skeleton pays the bills with ALL stress of life. I wrapped up the day with an evening strength sesh, playing smart with the squawking hip. When it comes to the L hip, I don’t mess around. The biggest risk factor for a bone stress injury is a previous bone stress injury—and that risk factor haunts me in the shadows.

Wednesday 6/7
Another solid night of sleep and I was off to complete my hour-long of corrective exercises. I’m working on a ton of L hip mobility drills which have become my staples over the last few years. What I love about corrective exercise days is that it gives me a chance to focus on fixing the physical issues that hold me back. My Coach tweaks it as the skeleton talks and it just works! It was a great way to start the day before more road-tripping for caregiving duties out of town.

Thursday 6/8
I hit another night of exceeding my sleep requirements. Truth is that I’m playing catch-up. I’m letting the body repair itself and giving the mind a chance to unwind. I don’t think of these as self-care but I think of it as necessary care. Good athletes know when to hit brakes before accelerating out of control. That’s one thing I’ve worked hard on over the last few years: knowing the limits and when to peel back.

On deck today was a morning strength sesh which went rather well with minimal hip flexor squawking, a midday deep tissue massage, two pup walks that turned into sassy adventures, and an evening boring slow roll on the dreamill. I call it a dreamill because it is an effective tool when needing to control most variables. I can trot along at the slowest pace and no one will see me while I reap the aerobic benefits. I like to jam out to my playlist and just let my mind drift with every step on the hamster wheel. It’s the smartest way to still get miles in while letting the body simmer slightly. The pain has been manageable which is allowed for muscular injuries (versus bone where the pain tolerance is zero).

Friday 6/9
My day started off at 4am for the work alarm. I poured my protein shake and needed to get out the door, sleepy-eyed and hobbling to work I went. Something just isn’t flowing in the L leg and it’s brewing into a storm more then what is acceptable to me (and I have a very high pain threshold). As hard as it was, I had to hit the “pause” button on any more running. I had plans to run in a half marathon in a week…but I cancelled them. I took a big gulp of air at lunch and phoned my PCP to get on the books. Been here before, I’ll be okay… I think! Just need to give the skeleton a time-out to cool its sassiness.

Sunday 6/11
I really dislike pausing a training plan. I am one of the most consistent people when it comes to training life. I fit everything around my calendar to make it work…and maybe that’s why I take things so incredibly hard on myself. Plain and simple, I overdid it with work stress, life stress, and training intensity all in the same week. After I laid around letting my dog lick my tear-stained face, I dug my bike out, pumped up the tires, and dusted off my helmet. A nice aerobic 60-min bike ride put me into a better mood. It’s not what I wanted to do, but it’s what I could do. And that’s what it takes: “Learn what you can do and get to work.”

Tuesday 6/13
Started off the day getting my left problem-child side looked at and a set of new films. It feels like it’s just an angry muscle or two, but my bone history cannot be ignored. It’s not a fun place to be and flashbacks run ramped in my mind. I’ve done what I can to redirect my focus: reading, journaling, meditating, and napping. Luckily, I’ve got a great support squad to help me out. My husband let me sob my tears away. My Coach adjusted my strength training workout for skeleton safety. My friend Vicky has checked-in on me, while I navigate what is going on. The body never has a timeline for healing and you just have to go along for the ride. The skeleton squawked last week and I listened—that’s already an improvement from 2021 when I pushed through to complete failure.

Wednesday 6/14
After a somewhat crazy work day, I jammed in my fuel and hopped on my ElliptiGo for an aerobic base building workout. I invested into my ElliptiGo back in 2021, when I was healing from injury and unrelated surgery. What I love about it is that it’s low-impact and simulates running, but without the pavement pounding. It’s a decent tool for a temporary running replacement. I flicked through the TV stations and settled on HGTV to let the time tick on by. That’s the most TV I’ve watched in 6 months! With the workout done, it was time to crash into bed before another work day.

Friday 6/16
I’ve been enjoying my morning with no work alarm. I was supposed to have been on vacation today… but I’m not out of town. The films came back the other day with no fractures or dislocation. However, bone stress injuries and muscle injuries are best illustrated on MRI, which my medical team may order eventually (it seems like an eternity waiting). Nonetheless, I’m approaching 7 days off from running and trying to see the value in this rather than what I’ve lost. That’s one thing that sports psych has helped me with over the last year: perception of reality.

I took my 60min cycling aerobic workout to the ElliptiGo today. I’m just too lazy to drive anywhere and have to be on the road tomorrow for another caregiver roundtrip. My corrective exercise programming went well, other than one exercise. I did these outside while my dog flopped around in the grass. It felt good to get some fresh air.

My headspace has been a little all over. There’s so many factors that could have caused my L hip/quad issue and so many factors that I’ve done to prevent injuries. I’ve put my heart and soul into it for the last 2 years. I followed a regimented plan, work with my coach for running as well as strength and conditioning, hired my sports nutritionist to work on metabolic needs, and check-in quarterly with sports psychology. I’ll be okay, because I always am, but I’ve definitely choked on some tears today. I’m human (and emotional) even when it might appear that I’ve got my life together, especially when all I’ve wanted is for something to finally go right without hiccups or obstacles.

Sunday 6/18
I came across something that was the motivation I needed to get moving. It was a conference recap where Adrienne Haslet had been a speaker. (She was a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombings.) “We have no right to the cards we think we should have been dealt, but we have the obligation to play the hell out of the cards we do have.” Powerful and spot on, I pinged my Pacer Pal for a long cycling adventure and without a question, we rode during the late morning hours.

Pacer Pal and I met at a local running store in 2019. We both were a little on the introverted side. We were paired up together for a scavenger hunt on Global Running Day 2019 and that was the start of our fitness relationship. We’ve helped each other through injuries, reached tough goals, swapped vacation pictures, burned some calories sweating, survived the pandemic with unsanctioned runs, and also survived the bomb-cyclone this past winter with a half marathon (because my plan called for it). Pacer Pal is just one of those people that I’m fortunate to have in my life, for the ups and downs, for the laughs and the tears, and for the lessons about life that I haven’t learned. He is 20 years older and wiser, but one heck of a fitness friend.

We rode from the library onto the connector trail, down into the park, under the expressway, into another park, back into the first park, and returned on the connector trail back to the library. It was exactly what I had in mind, topping out around 20 miles with a dozen of beastly hills. I’m still a newbie on the bike, learning how to shift and when. During our ride, we bounced around some ideas and he helped to clear my brain with some pearls and advice. He reassured my thought process and action plan for getting on top of my L hip/quad issue in the tissue.

This two-week recap is not what I had wanted to share, but it is the reality of my current life. I like to be real and down to Earth, because life is not always glamorous like social media portrays. Tough times build character. Plans have to pivot and adapt. And support systems are essential.

In the next two weeks, I’m looking forward to:

• An injury assessment with my brilliant Coach in Milwaukee, who has helped me with so many skeleton squawks. His rehab skills are always on-point perfectly.
• Hopefully scheduling and having the results of a MRI, to check on a possible muscular vs bone etiology for this current skeleton squawk
• Crosstraining (road bike/ElliptiGo) while continuing with safe strength training work in the gym
• Making a final decision for my fall marathon. I’ve already been in denial, accepted reality, and now moving to the future. I have to keep the longevity picture in mind.