September 19, 2008

Runnin' Fool

I've pretty much accepted that I'm not much of a triathlete these days, I'm more of a runner and barely that. I haven't biked at all this month and am not really yearning to given I'm still limited to the trainer. I've only been swimming twice and I'm getting tired of the one-armed effort. But I have been running. It may not seem like a lot in the scheme of things, but it's a lot given my limitations. I've done 12 miles since the half-marathon and I have 19 miles scheduled this weekend. I'll be doing 18 next weekend and 20 the week after. If all goes well, I might have a chance of salvaging this marathon. It will most likely never measure up to where I wanted it to be, but it may not be entirely embarrassing.

They posted the photos of the Queens Misery Fest that was the half marathon. I laughed when I saw the pictures. They epitomized the misery of my day beautifully. Here, in the first shot, I was about 5 miles into the race and still running in no man's land. I had just gone through a water stop and had a huge mouthful of water to swallow when I saw the photographer kneeled down in the road. Seriously - you couldn't find a better place to be? I was in such a foul mood and so irritated by the location choice that I felt like chucking my paper cup of water at him.

This second photo might rank right up there in my worst race photos of all time. But I post it in the spirit of sharing even those moments that are truly unflattering. This was somewhere between 9 and 13 because the guy in the right of the frame is the triathlete that ran the end of the race with me. I was in a miserable state of hell during that entire time so I'm surprised I actually don't look worse. Every step was agony at that point.

I went to the orthopedist today and the verdict was fairly neutral. My X-ray showed signs of healing, but my shoulder is still very fractured. I'm ready for physical therapy and I have about 70% range of motion. I got a little ahead of myself and asked if I could start swimming. He had me try to put resistance against his hand and I couldn't. I'm completely weak in my left arm and even if I could get my arm through the stroke cycle, I wouldn't have the strength to really swim. He suggested 3-4 weeks of PT before trying, but then must have seen the horrified look on my face and relented to a try after 2.5 more weeks - 8 weeks post-crash.

But now that I'm 70% I am going to see about getting my bike fitted. I might be recovered enough to get it done and bring my new bike home. I'd so much rather be riding the Cervelo on the trainer than my sad road bike. Plus I scored an incredible deal on a set of Zipp 404 race wheels so I'm even more eager to get my bike. I want to see it race-ready, even though it will be several months before I actually race on it. I can't wait. I'm going to have a pretty phenomenal set up. It's nice to have something to look forward to.

Running
Distance - 5 miles
Time - 41:45

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