After the first week adjusting to boot-life, I went through a wide range of emotions. The Type-A planner in me immediately went into Red-Alert-Panic-Mode because I assumed that I would not be able to follow my training schedule that I had painstakingly and thoughtfully laid out for myself leading up to the Black Canyon Ultras 100K in February 2019. I was angry and upset, and ready to throw my schedule and all my notes out the window. I admit, I may have a tendency towards the dramatic, but I don’t think this is an abnormal reaction, especially for my fellow ultra runners out there! Tell us we are benched for an indefinite amount of time and queue the tantrums!
Once into Week Two of Boot, I decided to cut back a little on my social media scrolling to minimize my FOMO. It hurts to not be “in the loop” but it is so necessary for my mental health right now. I’m still bummed and check in with my trail peeps from time to time (please don’t forget me!), but I’m trying to not focus on what I can’t do right now and trying to be grateful for things that I can. Which brings me to…
Bike riding! Turns out, 30 miles on my little single-speed commuter is ROUGH! Everything was hurting after those first few rides. My wrists, elbows, and especially my quads. I’m sure I don’t have to tell most of you this, but riding a bike is NOT the same as running. It doesn’t work the exact same muscle groups, and it’s a 1:3 ratio in terms of mileage. For example, if you are substituting a ride for a 6 mile run, you should bike around 18 miles (depending on terrain). My goal is to still run the Ragnar Relay in Vermont in August, so in order to get in some quality training while I still cannot run I’ve decided it’s time for a bike upgrade! Entry-level road bike, here I come.
I’m also allowed to swim! I haven’t swam since high school. From ages 7 to 15 years old I spent every summer attending a day camp that was situated on a local pond. We swam multiple time a day, and every Friday we would swim across the “lake”. I was a strong swimmer as a kid, and I remember it being an incredible workout. The first week of every summer back at camp was filled with breathless bouts at our afternoon swimming lessons. But after that first week or so, I remember feeling stronger and stronger, and building endurance relatively quickly. Time to hit the local pond and see how I fare!
chasing smiles and summits 