Recovery Mode

The recovery from my latest half-marathon is going slowly. The ongoing problem with my right hamstring decided to flare up after the race. During the race it didn't bother me at all. But afterward....Ouch! A big part of the problem is that I never really let it heal all the way after my half-marathon last October. Now I'm taking it easy and gradually increasing my kilometers. If I go slowly it doesn't bother me. My plan is to take things easy and really let that muscle recover. While I would usually be getting back to full workouts at this point after a half-marathon, I'm only running for 30 minutes at a fairly slow pace. When I can go 30 minutes and not feel anymore aches in my butt (top of the hamstring) or the back of my thigh, then I'll increase my mileage and pace.

When an injury occurs, that's the body's way of saying to take a break. I've been doing a lot of hard training for the past four years. In that time I've run 5 half-marathons, a full marathon, and other races at shorter distances. Now it's time for a little break. I know that it's temporary and that I'll soon be chomping at the bit to do another long race. But it would be great to be totally pain free. I'll also do some cross-training, like hiking or cycling, in order to stay in shape but let my hamstring rest.

I don't really have any big race plans for the rest of the year. There's a 5K in San Diego that I may do when I'm there next month. I can sign up on race day, so I'll make the decision to run it at the last minute. It will depend if I'm still jet lagged, the weather, and my plans for that day. Another race that I'm thinking about doing is an October 10K in Wolfratshausen, which is about halfway between Garmisch and Munich. It looks fairly flat, which is good because I haven't been training as much in the hills compared to previous years.

Even if I don't do anymore races this year, I'll still run for the joy of it. The important thing is getting my right hamstring back to 100% fitness and being able to run without aches or pains. I plan to be the old lady at races who everyone beats but is still admired for still being able to run. In the grand scheme of things, a short break will help my future performances and get me to the finish line when I'm 95 years old.