Run Walk or Crawl

15 weeks and counting to IM Louisville.

Weekends are becoming difficult to organize.   My schedule this weekend included a 40 mile bike ride, a 9 mile run and a 1700m swim.    I usually do 2 of the 3 on Saturdays because I have more time.  Sunday, I usually do the swim early in the morning to get it out of the way.   

As I go along, I am more and more impressed with the people who have already done this.  I knew that this wasn't going to be easy but I am already struggling to juggle everything and I'm still 15 weeks out.  I can't even imagine how I will manage this things when I am doing double and triple the distances that I am currently.  

I misjudged the weather and my schedule on Saturday.  We had a cool front coming through and I expected the temps to be near their highs in the morning and dropping all day.  Because of this I rearranged my schedule to do a 3 and a half hour spin class at the gym in the morning.  (When I am doing a spin class, I usually assume it is the approximate equivalent of 15 miles for every hour)   I really need to ride outside if possible but with possibility of cold and rain, I decided it was better to make sure I got the workout in.   

In the afternoon, it turned out to be fairly warm and sunny after all.  In fact it would have been better to have done the run in the morning and the bike in the afternoon.  But I dutifully went to Seneca Park to get my 9 mile run in. 

Two miles into the run, my left calf started cramping.   As I have mentioned before, one of the dilemmas I am always facing is when to quit to prevent  an injury.   I scaled back a little and tried to run through it.  Things seemed better for a while but it started cramping again, so I slowed to a walk for about a half mile.  Things calmed down and I started a slow jog which felt pretty good for about a half mile, then - more cramping.  I slowed again and thought things would be okay but then my right knee started to cramp up as well.  

I was about 1 mile from the car and about 5 or 6 miles short of the workout I needed to do.   With both legs now acting up, I decided not to risk injury, so I stopped the run.  BUT I also knew that I couldn't skip the workouts and expect to be able to do this race in August.  So I went with middle ground.  My calf was tight but I didn't think it was injured, so I walked the rest of the way to complete my 9 miles. 

I don't know what the experts would tell me, but the way I see it, the training isn't just a matter of increasing the endurance and the distances.  It is also a learning experience.  Let's face it,  these are intense races and things can go wrong.    While it would be nice to have everything go perfectly, I think these challenges help me learn what options I may have on race day and how I might proceed.  

In August, I hope I don't find myself cramping up or having knee issues, but if I do, I have dealt with that before and I have some ideas about how to cope.    It may not be pretty but the final goal is to cross that finish line and if doesn't matter if I run, walk or crawl across it.

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Side note:  I am a newby at this and can in no way be considered an expert.  Still, I have done a couple of marathons and I am learning all the time.  If you have any tips, stories, or info to share, I would love it.  Also, while I am not any kind of an authority, I would be happy to answer any questions.  Just leave me a note.   

David