Last night I was made aware of the Virtual 5K Twitter Road Race.  I figured, what the heck, and signed up.  I knew bad weather was on the way but knew I wouldn’t let it hold me back.

Unfortunately I woke up this morning and had my first DNS (did not start).  Yep, I’ve never had a DNS before.  Yargh. How crappy that my first be a virtual race. Then again, it was free, so at least I wasn’t out money.  And I guess it’s easier to miss a virtual race than an actual race.  Either way though, it was a DNS.

So “Why a DNS?” you may ask.  Believe it or not the weather wasn’t too bad.  Over the past few weeks my right leg has been bothering me.  If you  remember from a previous post, this is my “bad” leg.  I have the unfortunate post-injury symptom of “feeling the weather”, but it’s usually tolerable.  Back in 2008, when I was training for my first half marathon, ramping up the mileage, I had some intense discomfort.

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For some reason, my recent discomfort is becoming worse and worse to the same intensity I had in 2008.  However, other than weather there shouldn’t really be a reason for this discomfort.  I am not logging lots o’ miles. I’m not just running , as I’ve added cross-training.  And lastly, if anything, I’m taking way more rest days than I should.  Although I know this is an excuse, I haven’t been pushing myself to sticking to a hardcore training schedule because number 1) my work schedule and more importantly, number 2) come the end of this month there’s no looking back on training until I complete the Half Rev mid September.

When I woke up this morning in even more discomfort I had to tell myself, it’s time to take an actual day off.  Yes, even though I’ve been taking more “rest” days than I should, my rest days are never truly rest days.  Mostly I take rest days when I am working more than one job (often 3) on that day.  And I still crank out burpees, planks, and/or more .  So today I did no workouts.  No running, swimming, cycling, burpees, planks, pushups….nothing.  I’m going a bit nuts.  Thanks to D, it’s been tolerable.  Remember, I’m a buzzbomb.  It’s VERY hard for me to sit still.

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I must admit, this is kind of embarassing.  Here I am, averaging running 3 miles on my runs, having discomfort.  Uhhhh.  There are others out there pounding out miles upon miles.  And here I am, feeling like I’m making excuses.

Alas, something that I need to remind myself…I’m not them.  (My ongoing theme on this blog, I swear).  I’m Heidi, a former non-athlete.  I know anyone can be an athlete, and darn near anyone can be a runner.  But, some of us are better at this form of exercise.  Let’s be honest, some are almost born to run.  They have a better physique and style to their running.  I really don’t fit into this category.  This is something I’ve accepted, but it doesn’t mean I can’t/won’t run.  It’s just more difficult for some of us.  It’s not an excuse.  It’s a fact.

Another thing I need to remember is that I need total rest days, even if I feel like I’m taking “rest” days from my main training.  If I’ve learned anything since starting to run in 2007, it’s listening to my body.  When something hurts, you must listen.  I’m not talking about little aches and pains that come along with training.  I’m talking about the pains that could hinder you long term in your training plan.

I’m heading into my training January 30th.  Where does this leave me?  I’m going to follow the same regimen I used in 2008:

Glucosamine – Previously I used Cosamin.  Since then I’m vegan and this has required some research.  I believe I’ve found what I’m going with.  I have chosen Deva’s Glucosamine, MSM, and CSM. If anyone has any recommended vegan brands that they’ve chosen give me a shout out.

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Pro-tec Patellar Tendon Strap – On casual runs I don’t find this necessary, but have found it to help significantly when I add to mileage.  Since it’s already started I think I’m going to strap that baby on here on out.

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Massage – Thankfully my MIL is a massotherapist and is more than happy and willing to work on me.  She’s a lifesaver every time I have a flareup. Although my knee is the focal point of discomfort, I also experience discomfort  through my entire right leg. I’ve already scheduled a massage with her tomorrow.

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I may have had my first DNS today, but I’m glad I took an actual rest day.  I’m hoping to get everything in line and ready as I head into my official training.  It’s best to try to take care of it now instead of later.  I’ll keep you posted.

Be Grateful and Keep Smiling =)