I know that I am still someone that enjoys getting outside and challenging myself through endurance pursuits. Whether that's a goal race that I've spent a lot of time and effort training for, a bike ride that I'm not at all prepared for, or an adventure run that just kind of unfolds as you go. These things may not make me who I am, but they certainly have an impact on me.
I've had to find ways to change my mindset. Instead of being bummed out about not being able to run, I've had to find ways to flip that and be excited about what I am able to do. That's easier said than done when I'm riding the same one-hour bike ride in the dark every morning just trying to hang onto some fitness and work up a sweat to stay sane. That's a ticket to exactly what I talked about not doing at the end of the summer. Falling into a rut and just waiting for the next trip or adventure. This time it was waiting until I could run again. For example, instead of being pumped about a trip to the Smokies, all I could do was dwell on the fact that I wouldn't be able to do any running up there.
Amanda and I had both been really looking forward to that trip and I knew that I needed to find a way to snap out of it. With a few days of downtime during our bye week at work, I took a mental health day and drove up to the Lake Russell WMA to ride the dirt & gravel forest service roads on my new Cannondale Slate. What an awesome day. This ride really helped me turn things around. It was exactly what I needed to snap out of my rut and change my mindset to focus on what I am able to do at the present moment. I can't do an adventure run every morning before work. I know that. This ride helped me start thinking about what I can do. And at the end of the day, an hour ride on the greenway by the house is still better than nothing.
Like I said, the ride was awesome. I'm not the greatest cyclist, so I actually really enjoy these solo missions. I'm not worried about not being able to keep up or how slow I'm going. I'm just out there having some fun. I found the ride on REI's Mountain Bike Project app. It was described as a great intro to gravel riding and that it was. It had a little bit of everything, rolling hills, long climbs, and white-knuckle descents. It was a great test of the new ride and it really backed up my decision to get a Slate. I don't know how people ride this stuff on rigid forks. Maybe I'm just a wimp but the 30 mm of travel on the Lefty Oliver were clutch for me. Most importantly, I enjoyed plenty of fresh mountain air that gave me a much needed shot in the arm. I’m still itching to get back to running, but a day like this helped ease my mind and granted me patience.
Rad Ride // Lake Russell WMA
I strapped my GoPro to the handlebars and tried to get a few shots from the ride to throw up on my YouTube Channel. Hopefully, this is the start of more videos to come. I've been trying to keep up with IGTV, but I still kind of hate the vertical videos.
Smoky Mountain Traffic Jam
After a great day out in the North Georgia mountains riding my bike, Amanda and I headed up to the Smokies for a rare fall weekend getaway. We rented a Tiny House at the Long Springs Tiny House campground in Tennessee and spent the weekend drinking coffee, doing some short hikes and driving around the National Park. Saturday was excellent despite some rain and although Sunday brought fantastic weather we failed to account for everyone else wanting to get out and see the fall colors in the Park. It took us two hours to go 10 miles and get to the entrance, which turned what should have been about four hours in the car, give or take some time for stops at overlooks and what not, into eight hours in the car, woof.
Shutting It Down
Feeling better both mentally and physically after the trip to Tennessee, I told myself that I was going to have to be patient about my hamstring. There were things I could do in the meantime to help, but it is going take as long as it takes. That realization was a hard pill to swallow, but ultimately I think it's helped me. I decided to shut down any thoughts of trying to run until Thanksgiving, which will hopefully be longer than I need. I also decided that my 2018 racing calendar is/was done. When I first hurt my hamstring, I held out hope that I'd be able to come back and run the last few races of the year, but it's not worth it. There is no point in rushing back. My focus needs to be getting healthy and improving my strength and flexibility so this doesn't happen again. It's earlier than I'm used to but it's time to start planning for 2019 and that's okay. I don't really have much of a choice, but it's okay. I'll still be at as many Dirty Spokes races as I can, helping out and hanging out, but no running for me. It means an end to my six consecutive XTERRA regional titles, but it is what it is.
What I'm Reading/Listening to/Liking
Injuries are Inevitable, So Cut Yourself Some Slack // David Roche // Trail Runner Magazine
They say vulnerability is an essential part of a meaningful relationship. Well what happens when you have a meaningful relationship with an activity that can (and probably will) be taken away from you entirely at times? It can act a lot like a break-up for some athletes, where they blame the sport (and burn out) or blame themselves (and experience depression or self-judgment).My good friend and former college teammate Joe Reynolds sent this article to me the other day and to say I needed it is a massive understatement. I mean, read what I wrote above and this quote is pretty much exactly what I've been feeling. I've absolutely bookmarked this story and will probably be referring to it a few times a week as I attempt to recover.
Before the 1970s, women were not welcome at the world’s great marathons, but a few brave pioneers sought to challenge that system. Six Who Sat tells the story of two iconic moments in women’s running, both captured in photographs.
ESPN's 30 for 30 podcasts are excellent. I couldn't really get into their third season about Bikram yoga for whatever reason, but they are back to an individual story for each episode for season four and I'm all in. I even listened to the episode about poker and I hate poker. They are really well done, on par with the movies in my opinion. This episode about Katherine Switzer in the 1968 Boston Marathon and six women who protested the 1972 New York Marathon and changed the sport forever. My mom would have loved this one.
What's Poppin' on IG
I was fortunate to get connected with Adam Aldridge, Matt Johnson, Sean Kunis, and Matt Feldhake as they were ramping up their training for Sky to Summit 50k. I missed out on some of the bigger runs they did during their build up but it's been awesome to find a group of local guys to train with. Adam, Matt Johnson, and Sean all finished the 50k a couple weeks ago, unfortunately, Matt Feldhake had to pull out with an injury and wasn't able to start. I'm looking forward to getting back to running with these guys when I'm back and rolling. Also, I definitely will have to run one of Sean Blanton's (RunBum) races. That dude embodies epic with his races.
I've been following pro mountain biker Ryan Petry for a year or two. I've found him to be an interesting and inspirational guy. He recently raced at XTERRA Worlds despite missing some time with an injury. He's actually battled back from a couple of injuries this year and seeing his process, dedication, and focus come through has been really motivating for me. Anyway, despite the crazy muddy conditions and interrupted training, he still found a way to battle and finish 17th in the triathlon. Pretty impressive dude.
Fall left Georgia as quickly as it came. It seemed like it took until early to mid-November for Fall to arrive in Georgia and a few days later we had temperatures in the mid-to-low 30s and frost is starting to creep down from up north. I don't mind winter down here, but missing out on the best running weather of the year has added to the frustration level a little bit.
