Temporarily out of commission

I've been away a lot longer than I planned but Internet service on vacation just didn't work out. Parts of vacation didn't either. We started our two-week vacation by having to buy a new truck 8 hours into our 13 hour drive to the beach. I don't feel like telling the whole story, but we did get a good deal and there were many blessings in the chaos and frustration. Still, it took us a couple of days to recover from the idea.


On the vacation, I re-read ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer for maybe the fourth time from cover to cover. It's required reading for me at the beach each year. Every time I read it, I gain something new because my running is in a different place each year. This year, Danny really got my attention with the first few chapters -- more of the philosophical part of running and goal setting. He suggests we not set external goals such as a specific time goal (say a 7-minute mile) but rather set a goal of running faster. Because if we never reach that 7-minute mile pace, we could end up with a feeling of failure. Whereas just trying to get faster leaves lots of room for improvement without the pressure to succeed.


So I'm working on getting a hold of my ego which runs much, much faster than I do. I focused my vacation runs on really trying to relax every part of my body. Danny says energy can't move through tight muscles and as we fatigue, most of us tend to try hard and tense up as a result. The runs wents well but I still found myself focusing on minutes per mile. I remain too much into the numbers -- miles, time, etc. So here's the new plan: I'm running for time only -- not distance, not speed, just time. I'm just working on maintaining good ChiRunning form for longer and longer periods.


I'm eager to get started on my new plan, but it looks like it'll have to wait a few days. On my last run of the vacation, I lost my footing on the edge of a paved trail for just a fraction of a second. I didn't even feel a twinge -- until the next night. Two days later, I ran 6 miles and by Mile 5 I knew I should have stopped at Mile 4 but I was so far from home. So I finished the 2 more miles and walked the last mile home.

Since then, it's been nothing but twinges and instability. I've tried the chiropractor and ultrasound, massage therapy and the cranial sacral doc. I thought it was improving but after only 20 yards on Sunday I knew it was a no-go. So I'll give it a couple more days before I think about an x-ray.



I don't know if I can really focus simply on time rather than mileage and minutes per mile but I'm sure going to try. If I can, I think my running will really become about the enjoyment and no longer about my ego. Wish me luck.