I will run faster......

These women are inspiring, fast and well not me......My plan for the "off season" or the in between Ironman's season was to lift my run fitness!   It is the weakest like of my IM and I want to make it faster.   I complain about this off and on to KP in the past and he would say okay let's do a running block- but to do that effectively (which really means to not get hurt) something has to give- ie I cannot ride as much and need to back off intensity. See I am prone, very prone to running injuries. Prior to finding the sport of triathlon I was in a constant state of running injury, stress fractures, torn tendons, Achilles tendinitis, hamstring issues...

I like to to go hard and then get injured and then take time off and gain NOTHING.   So as I look back on my first 3 weeks of self coaching  and reflect on my goal of increasing run fitness, I have failed.  Oh I changed it up a bit-  added Tuesday track sessions and Thursday tempo runs and did I back off cycling- uh no, actually logged my biggest week of bike miles ever on top of the track and temp.  And well- by end of the week I was baked, had to cut my run short (which I am trying to make stronger), my hip has flared up and now I am on the edge of injury.

GREED- Jen and I have talked about that greedy feeling of big training! You start logging a lot of miles, are feeling good and you know deep down you should back off a bit, but it feels so good so you keep going.  More, more, more....like the crack junkie!  And then then something starts to tingle and not feel right and you can either 1- back way off and save yourself. 2- pretend it is not there 3 - find middle ground and get back to the foam roller, stretching, ice etc.  So I found middle ground-  backed off track and temp this week, am spending more time rolling around with my foam roller than I do with my husband and am religiously stretching.

I think, think I can manage this situation - I just have to not be greedy.  Running yesterday I was thinking it feels pretty good, maybe Ill run longer- no, no, no!  Okay I stopped before it started hurting.

So how is my run fitness....not lifted- my cycling is rocking right now!   No speed whatsoever but well with 130 mile Death Ride looming- who needs to go fast.

We are packing up to head to Tahoe and I am gong to run frequently but not, NOT, hard.   Goal for the trip - other than the Death Ride and 103m Tour de Steamboat is to run and run a lot but not hard.  Running every day in the trails and at altitude!

So we are rolling out in the morning for Mammoth and will spend the night there and get to Kirkwood on Friday mid day!!! Death Ride starts 5:30am and we will see how long it takes...