Humpday Haiku and a Hip Update

Oh yes I do hate my hip

Please cooperate

I really want to run soon

Hip update…

Compared to where I was 2 weeks ago (or even 1 week ago), I am definitely getting better. Things that were extremely painful then, only cause an ache now. For example, if I stepped off the curb funny or shifted my weight suddenly (because I almost stepped on a Hot Wheels car), it was painful and would even sometimes continue to hurt for the rest of the day. The exercises and stretches prescribed by Dr. Chiro hurt less and less. I want to attempt to run again, but I am scared to push the hip too much, too soon.  I am afraid of doing a tailspin back in the other direction – the direction where I could hardly walk up our stairs, the direction where I couldn’t even lift my leg to put on my pants. I attempted a little fast walk/jog on Monday to catch the bus….it hurt.  After my 1st full week back to a real training plan, the hip was achy yesterday before my spin class and it felt a little wonky this morning...not pain, but I think it's my hip's way of telling me to not forget to take it easy.  Luckily I am swimming tonight and can use a pull buoy to give the hip a break.

I am happy that I am making progress. I am not happy that it is taking FOREVER.

Yesterday was 7 weeks from the day I first noticed the pain. 7 weeks people!

To say I am a little worried about this upcoming 70.3 would be an understatement. Let’s see….

• Bike - I am up to 2 hours. Slowest pace ever, but I can ride for 2 hours. I'm scheduled to ride 2 1/2 hours this weekend.
• Swim – I can swim 2,800 in the pool pretty easily. With a pull buoy. Kicking too much makes the hip ache.
• Run – 0 miles. Z-E-R-O. But hey, I just aqua jogged for 45 minutes straight!

Sigh.  I do realize that this is progress.  Just a few weeks ago biking and aqua jogging would have caused my hip to ache for the rest of the day and I'd be limping around the house.  So yes, progress is good.

However, there are 61 days until the 70.3. SIXTY ONE DAYS!  That's two months for anyone out there who is mathematically impaired.  I wanted to go into this 70.3 feeling well-trained and strong. I wanted to be mentally and physically ready.  In fact, that is why I decided to work with Coach – to make sure I was doing the right amount of training at the right time. What I didn’t anticipate - a 7-week setback in the form of a hip injury. So now I am not sure if I can pull this off. Let’s face it, a 70.3 isn’t an Ironman, but it is tough – even for a well-trained athlete. I don’t want to struggle through the entire race because I am under trained.  And, you can't exactly just "wing it".  Well, maybe some people can, but I'm not really good at winging it!

I plan to discuss this with Coach and get her thoughts. I can wait and see how my training goes over the next few weeks and then make the call. I can choose another race - New Orleans will give me 20 more days of training…not that 20 days is going to make a significant difference. There’s Austin and Oilman in the Fall, but to be honest, I had no intention of training for triathlons past July or August. I have more running goals to check off my list in the Fall (maybe Marine Corp, maybe Nike…we’ll see) or in January (Disney/Goofy).

So that's where I'm at when it comes to this race - physically under trained and mentally freaked out.

On a happier note, I have enjoyed my extra time with the Hubby and kids.  This weekend we spent quite a bit of time outside letting the kids play with their scooters and bikes.  The Kiddo and I made cakes in her Easy Bake Oven and we worked on a project for the 100th day of school - a t-shirt with 100 items glued on.  And we finally had a chance to get the kid's holiday pictures taken...yes, yes, I know it's February!  Here are a few pics of the weekend activities...



Trying to get a 7 year old and a 3 year old to smile and look at the camera at the same time is impossible!  And, not sure why the photographer actually thought I would like this background...and this was one of the better pictures.



The Kiddo and her Easy Bake Oven...they really haven't improved these since I was a kid.

The finished product - a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles!  Yeah, they really haven't improved these either.

Scootering...yes, the kids are playing in the street!

The 100th day t-shirt...cute, huh?  Very blingy!

So, have you ever gone into a race undertrained?  Or would you rather postpone the race until you could give it all you've got?