Familiar pains

WOW - I haven't gone this long without checking in since I started the blog about a year ago... Things have been busy with going back to school (both as a teacher and as a student), XC, and everyday life. I started this post about 2 weeks ago, so I'll leave what I had written and then weigh in with some newer stuff further down...

(From 2 weeks ago) - Some of my pains are welcomed, and some are not. My legs are sore right now. They are tired from running everyday. And I've been pushing myself through workouts at much faster paces than I normally would. This is the good pain. We only have "workouts" (ie - hard interval runs or hill repeats) about 1-2 times per week. I find myself drooling when the head coach tells me about these grueling workouts. And when they are finished I feel such a rush of energy and happiness that I can hardly explain it in writing. There's something about the pain that just brings me to life. On the other side of the coin though, I really think I have a sports hernia. I can't remember if I wrote about it last year or not, but right after the Philly marathon in November of 2010 I started to have pains in my lower left abdomen. At first I thought it was a pulled muscle in my groin or something, but it didn't go away for quite a while. I tried to get a doctors appointment, but I was told I wouldn't be able to get in to see anyone for about 2-3 MONTHS, so I figured I would just put up with it and move on. I had the ironman to train for so I was not going to take 6 weeks off for surgery. And, in retrospect, I made the right choice. I swam for almost all of December, which gave it time to stop hurting, and I barely noticed it during the meat of my IM training. However, after IMLP I really felt it. I could barely sit up the next day because it hurt to flex my abs. The rest I took in the weeks after the race let things heal up again (or stop hurting), but these high intensity workouts have brought the pain back. I'm going to make an appointment for a doctor soon and let him tell me what if it really is a sports hernia and rehab it from there.

Now for the present - I still haven't made that doctors appointment yet... I need to get on it, but I've been busy. I also haven't been running as much because grad school started. I'm only running 3-4 times per week, and I typically miss the workout days, Tuesday and Thursday, because those are the days I have class. I have plenty of time to figure this out and get fixed though. I don't feel stressed about having to take time off for surgery, if that is the case. Yesterday I could have signed up for the Boston marathon, and I decided not to this year. I have enough on my plate, and I know I can qualify again. I think getting the Boston qualifier time is actually more exciting to me than the idea of racing in Boston. And I would like to have my fastest marathon ever be in Boston. I don't think 2012 is going to be the year for my fastest marathon (or any marathon for that matter). This weekend should be an interesting "race". The XC team is headed downstate in Delaware to do a 5mile TT. I honestly have NO idea what I'll run it in... I'll make sure to check in next week with my time though.

A little more on XC - last weekend was a fun race. We went off to Marlton, NJ, very close to my home town, for a 2 mile race. The boys took 1st overall, and the girls took 2nd. And in a nice twist, my alma mater, Haddonfield Memorial HS, took 1st for the girls and 2nd for the boys. We will also be visited tonight in a special team meeting by another HMHS graduate class of '01, Erin Donohue. Why Erin? Well, she just ran in the Beijing OLMYPICS a couple years back... no big deal. She didn't make it to the final heat, but I still think she's pretty good haha. I think she posted a 4:16 in the 1500m. She also graduated 2 years ahead of me and I think she gave me a natty light at a party in high school one time. No lie.

That's all I can come up with for now. Good luck to anyone racing the Syracuse 70.3 this weekend. That's where I broke 5hrs for the first time last year... A great race!