R4R Level 5, Part 1

I needed tonight to go well. A wish to come true. A boost in the right direction. A thread of string to keep pulling me along this road of rehab and recovery. And the universe delivered all of this.

Today is 16wks from imaging, or 112 days. I still remember dragging myself to that 2am MRI, already knowing what it would show. I remember at that time promising myself I wouldn’t return-to-sport until the end of the year. I needed a training break in more ways than one. I’m not a stranger to bone stress injuries and they just take forever to heal.

Yet, here I was tonight, already at Level 5 of return-to-sport progressions. I am exceeding my own timeline, though being sensible as I continue to stack small wins on top of each other. Tonight’s win was that I finally found a sweet spot of pain-free AND enjoyable. I know not every time will be like this, but I’m going to absorb all of this. What made tonight successful? Yes, I made a new playlist (BTS, Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Dua Lipa, Coldplay) but more importantly, I lowered my expectations and turned off all annoying metric beeps that I typically use as safe guards to prevent things from getting out of hand. It turns out those safe guards are more like handcuffs. Not only did I still stay within my designated parameters, I did it on my own without being handcuffed. My brain knew what to do. I simply got to kick back and enjoy cruising through my workout like a gazelle in the savannah. Everything was smooth. “Is this is what it feels like to have a solid skeleton,” I asked myself as I wrapped up at the track.

The other hidden truth is that I hit an extra recovery button this week. With work shifts and workouts stacking up on top of each other lately and Monday’s metrics being out of the ordinary, I chose to sleep extra long and hard into Tuesday AND took a nap. I skipped my cardio workout Tuesday – something that is atypical of me. This week, finally, I listened to what everyone has been telling me: “Less is more.” It was time to watch recovery in action and skimp on my cardio. As my dietitian shared recently, “In the mechanics of athleticism, rest, recovery, and refueling are not merely pitstops, but they are the very road to resilience.” And wouldn’t you know it, rest is certainly best. This is a huge win for me in my world.

Here’s to respecting my body more, trusting in smarting training more, and taking recovery more serious, so that I can level up my performance when the time matters most. I now look forward to a repeat of Level 5 at the tail-end of the week, instead of dreading it. After all, if it’s dreaded, it’s a chore. If it’s enjoyed, it’s not a bore. Success is built on a foundation of enjoyment – something that I have been searching awhile for.

R4R Level 5, Part 2

Today is the official start to my weekend, but before I unplug, I had two workouts to check off my list. After a decent late night strength session, I was feeling the effects 12 hours later as I rolled into the gym for my mobility drills. What I love about mobility drills is that they just give the lubrication to the parts that need the extra TLC. Of course, mine are very hip-focused but I do some others to loosen up my stiff thoracic spine from work life, too. After two days of long shifts, I was ready for some oil to my machine.

After mobility was checked off my list, I headed out to do my locomotion running warmup. It was drizzly and very humid (90%) which meant it felt disgusting outside. I easily peeled a layer and ditched my gloves after my warmup. I didn’t have time today to go anywhere fun, so neighborhood loops it was for today’s workout (5min WU, 5min run/1min walk x 7, 5min CD), a repeat of the level from the other day. While it gets annoying dodging people backing out of their driveway and the views are lackluster, I do appreciate not having to think about where I’m going. I simply just put one foot in front of the other and loop around.

Today’s run/walk intervals mark the halfway point of this phase of the return-to-sport progression. In listening to a webinar earlier in the week, there are so many different ways to do run/walk progressions for return-to-sport. Many of them are way more conservative and slower than the one I’m progressing through. I couldn’t even imagine doing run/walk for 8-10 weeks! It gives me a different perspective of being grateful for where I am in my program: half way done and pain-free! I’ve got some ways to go, but I’m definitely happy with the progress I am making one step at a time, even if my brain yearns for a long run Sunday at the park in my winter element.

During today’s run/walk, my mind drifted to my race in Indianapolis about a year ago with similar disgusting gross weather conditions. I had such a great buildup into that race, but then had the worst conditions causing me to fall short of my goal. And that’s the lesson I learned that still holds true today: control the controllables and forget about the non-controllables. You can only do what you can with the conditions you are given, but you can make the best of a bad situation. Here I was, making the best of Level 5 in drizzly humid conditions, making the best of this rehab journey, making the best of this moment right here and now for a future of success. The future training will look different, but I’m certainly ready to bust through the universe to a place of success. I’ll have two checkpoints on the road to success next year, and I finally confirmed my two race registrations for 2024. To get there, today matters. Yesterday counted. And tomorrow will be essential. One day at a time, one step at a time. Keep grinding. Stay gritty.