Needed a pickup tonight

Here's the real deal behind the last 2 weeks - which incidentally is the last time I biked or ran until tonight.

The theory is, my bike fit change caused a hip flexor issue and it shone through loud and clear on my last ride - 150km and 5.5 hours which subsequently wrote my off riding.  Running wasn't much better.

A good friend of mine, a solid 10.5 hour multiple Ironman finisher gave me the advice to enjoy my holiday last week, take off from training and enjoy the family time.  Do nothing.  After some careful consideration, I thought it was wise.  My coach didn't really advise one way or another...I know my body and the hip pain was bad.

Over those 2 sedentary weeks, I indulged in all things tasty that I had deprived myself of for the last several months.  Chips, fries, M&Ms, beer, hamburgers...whatever - it was all fair game, all consumed without moderation.  I've lost a bunch of weight and wanted to lose another 6 pounds or so, which would have put me at a relatively lean 150 - this was prior to the injury and vacation, of course.  Long story short, my indulgences cost me a gain of 6 pounds.  In 2 weeks.

I was hoping I'd be magically healed by now and I tested my hopes with a run.  I skipped the proposed speedwork in favor of 75 minutes of comfortably steady pacing and for the first 15 minutes, I was floating on a cloud.  I was so happy to be 'back', feeling great, low HR...was all good.  Only a short 15 minutes later, I was calling for a pickup as it hurt to run and I didn't want to damage any recent recovery further.

I cannot express how disappointed I am.  And frightened, to be frank.  IM 70.3 Muskoka is in 26 days and IMFL is 80.  If I blew the last 14 doing nothing and didn't recover from my injury, how am I supposed to get the A ticket races done?

I'll have to contact a PT tomorrow and see if I can get in to see her...at least get the issue identified and work on a recovery plan.  I'm already doing a bike re-fit after swimming tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes.

I know I've got to suck it up and move forward, get back to healthy eating, and stay focused on the positive.  And quit my whining!

Keep your fingers crossed for me...!

Some day, I'll post a video of these guys running full speed.  This was just some backyard goofing around...Greyhounds can hit 72 km/h (45 mph) at full bore.  When racing, they cover 550 yards in 30 seconds at the track.  They are incredible athletes but lousy training partners.  We love'em, though!  Thanks for reading.