Back on track

When I last blogged, I was bumming out in the wake of a DNF at Payton Jordan, where a nagging butt injury prevented me from finishing the 10k. Since then, I've been rehabbing like it's my job: massage, ice, foam roll, cross-training, rest, the works! After nearly a month of taking care of the injury, I'm happy to report that I'm now feeling almost 100%! I'm so thankful that this injury turned out to be just a minor setback and not a season-ending blow. Things are back on track!

After Payton Jordan I spent a week only running easy. I took to the pool for my workouts, returning to my swimming roots. Despite growing up in the water (I swam from age 6 through high school), the pool workouts kicked my butt. But they kept up my aerobic fitness and I returned to the track 10 days after Payton.

The first day back on the track was anything but pretty. I felt like a fish out of water - my stride was off, my steps were awkward, and I all-around felt like crap. Discouraging? Yes, very. But years of running have taught me that every workout isn't going to be perfect - bad days happen, and if you want to be successful in this sport, you've got to learn to roll with the punches. 

So I put the bad workout out of my head and boarded a plane to Ohio to visit my boyfriend :-) Spring is a beautiful time of year in Cleveland and the change of scenery was just what my training needed. Seeking a joyful run? Try the wooded trails around Cleveland :-)

With my butt injury mostly healed and with two solid track workouts in Ohio under my belt, I decided to go ahead with the plan to race the 5k at the Oxy High Performance Meet. I'm currently hanging out in the meet hotel before my race tonight (T-minus 9 hours til the gun goes off!). I'll be toeing the line with quite a competitive field - take a look at the entries!

It's going to be a fast race and I'm excited for this opportunity to chase a big PR! You can watch the race live on Runnerspace - tune in for my run at 9:20 pm tonight (or earlier for the other races - this meet will be FAST!) Here's the link: http://www.runnerspace.com/OXYHP