Flexibility!

Piriformis, Tibialis and IT bands oh my!

I ran eight miles on Monday. My longest run yet. Problem is my longest run prior to that was 5.5 miles (with stops).
I had to! The TC 10 is only 19 days away. I want to run that distance at least once before the race and I need to take it easy the week before so I really only have about 12 days to get up there. (You see, I am in such a rush, I have to do run on sentences)

I realize that eight miles may be petty for some of you! But I am still amazed at 1) How happy I am to be at this point and 2) How much I want to do better! Both are equally true.

Anywho, as I was walking on the last bit of slowdown, the outer aspect of my left leg just clamped down and froze. What a strange looking walk home that must have been for anybody that looked out their window. I am not sure why it specifically happened. I always have some pain on my run. It usually starts on my shins then I feel like I have kind of a foot drop type pain on my anterior left ankle. But today both of those went away @ mile 4.

Negative thoughts entered my head! "I can't do this", "You're pathetic"! "You ugly red-headed step child" That last one was from the past. Those little suckers sneak in their even though I don't believe them anymore.

In fact I did a good job of kicking all the negative thoughts out! I told myself that this will happen again but at higher distances. Your body is just not use to it. You couldn't run .2 miles just 5 months ago. Deal with it, Tim

I made it home! The stairs were hell but I immediately took some ibuprofen and placed ice packs all over my left leg. And I evaluated. Really it's pretty simple. I have been really good at doing my pre workout stretching but I haven't been too good at my "regeneration" day stretching. In other words I need to stretch on my non run days.

As I suspected, I was able to get around just fine last evening and today I only felt any hint of pain on stairways, especially going down.

I want to do this right!

So I tried three yoga moves. Cow face, Frog legged and Square (page 53 on the October 07 Inside Tri mag). Then I did an arch roll with a tennis ball (which feels as good as err, um, well it feels really good), stretches with a rope like the calf stretch, straight let hamstring, adductor and abductor. Then I proceeded to use a foam roll and tennis ball for deep tissue massage. Man those tennis ball pressure points hurt at first.

Flexibility, that is what I have to work on.

When I was doing those exercises, I was thinking, "What about my mental flexibility?"

What if I wasn't able to run again? Could I handle that? Am I so inflexible that I feel my overall value as a person would be diminished by not running? Of course, I wouldn't think that way about anybody else, but would I be so flexible regarding myself?

What about other aspects in my life?

On Monday, it was easy to get rid of the negative thoughts. I honed in on what is true and what is real. One of my favorite artists to listen to are the Indigo girls. (I know, I know, but I am still all man:-). I think that they have a lot of beliefs that I may not agree with, but they really know how to put some truth into words.

"Darkness has a hunger thats insatiable, and light has a call that's hard to hear". It is so easy to get hung up on the negative that we see! What was probably just a warning to me, my body telling me I needed to do something different, was temporarily viewed by me as much worse.

In this world, we get so much thrown at us! War, crime, finances, family and friends that we care about being sick (one with cancer, one with gestational diabetes and one with heart problems). It's easy to see the world as suffocating us, restricting us, impinging upon our rights to happiness!

But I won't let it! I will listen for the call of the light!

I will be flexible!

Mileposts and Milestones!

Wow, What a weekend!

I have been home about 24 hours now from my little trip to Madison! I volunteered and watched what I consider the "Greatest Show on Earth". Although I did see a clown, I am of course referring to IronMan!

Saturday was relatively relaxed. I love getting up early in the morning, so waking up at 5 to be picked up at 6 by Ironmomjenny and her adorable daughter Ally is a great way to start a weekend and meet new friends. I also met Steve who is a local triathlete and is quite likable even though he isn't a blogger ;-)

I started blogging on May 17th and I was immediately hooked (for reasons I will share in a future post). One of the fun things about blogging and triathlon was "watching" people that have been blogging for years finally meet up with each other at a triathlon or other race event (Wildflower is a great example)

I am incredibly blessed by 1) that many bloggers live in Minnesota and 2) after blogging only 4 months, I was able to meet and/or see many others for the first time already. What an incredible group of people: 21stcenturymom, Laura and Greg, Laurie (who is utterly terrific), another non-blogging, I forget their name, couple at the Hojo, IronNick, Robert, T-Storms and her husband, Kona Shelley and then of course TriMama and the tribe. I was also fortunate to fleetingly meet other blog rockstars like Bolder, Greyhound, TriDummy, TriBoomer, Taconite Boy, RunBubbaRun and the list goes on. Then there are those that I cheered for but they had no idea who I was, IronWil, SimplyStu, RuralGirl, Chris, John Shelp, Dan Cohen, Pharmie and hairless Steve.

I am not name dropping above for the sake of name dropping, I am seriously excited about this group of people.

And I am seriously excited about what I learned from everybody. Dedication, effort, heart, faith but also not taking everything too seriously! What is the sense of all the training and achievement without life? Life with friends, family, God, good food and beer!, intentionality (an explanation of that ahead) and of course more.

Which brings me to an important milestone of my own!

It's really interesting. I am sitting in the front lobby of the Hojo on Washington Street in Madison and TriMama asks me, "Do you like football?" The conversation ended up being about how her and Taconite Man watch Sunday Night football together as just their time. It's an easy time to spend some alone time and talk!

It is intentional time together.

Later, I get home and my wife is a little upset. Had I talked to her all weekend? Did she know when I was going to get home? Did she know with whom I was staying and where?

Anybody that knows me will say that I practically worship Angela. I love her and adore her beyond any description! In return, I give her Soooo much. Yep, so much grief, frustration and probably stress ulcers.

Angela knows I love her, my kids know I love them, but the relationship(s) can't just happen (and in many ways, I don't let it just happen). It needs to have that same kind of intentionality as training for triathlon does.

When it comes to intentionality, triathlon is easy! You have goals, so you intentionally reach for them.

But relationships need that same intentionality. TriMama and TaconiteMan understand that, as evidenced by setting up time together and how proud she is on how, then known as Taconite Boy, he handled his training and family.

This weekend, I realized that I have many people to look up to and not just because of their endurance achievements!

But it also made me wonder!

Where did Taconite Boy get his super powers? After meeting all these incredible people and thinking about my wonderful family and friends, I see where I do and I will get some of my strength!


P.S. One other smaller milestone, I was able to stretch and touch my toes today with legs fully straight. Woohoo.