In the two remaining weeks before my race I had planned to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, all about 3 to 4 miles each run. Then Saturday was to be a 7 miler. Sunday I would rest and then in the last week run the Monday, Tuesday Wednesday. Two days rest and then on Friday my family would drive up to Squamish we would check into the hotel room we had rented and have a good nights sleep. I would wake up around 4 am and grab a taxi out to Brennan Park. Do some light stretches, eat a banana and Powerbar with a cup of coffee and wait for the start. Jenny and the kids would wake up later and come out and cheer me on along the course somewhere at a pre-planned time. I would be charged up by my family cheering me on.
Today’s show I had a whole show planned out (as much as I ever plan out) about Dean Karnazes. Lately DK has been in the headlines a bit because of his new documentary about his 50/50 exploits. I, myself, have recently completed his first book Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner and I was going to give you my take on the whole Dean Karnazes show. In ultrarunning circles DK has been a bit of a point of contention. For the most part ultrarunners either love to hate him or remain somewhat neutral and letting the Dean bashing go on. I wanted delve into this world for a bit and try to figure out why.
Usually I kind of choreograph what I want to say while I’m running and the thoughts just kind of flow. Unfortunately the week has not gone as planned. It was Sunday the first day of my “Taper”. I can’t believe I named my last show My Taper begins Tomorrow. It was almost like a jinx or something (not that I’m superstitious). The very next day after my long run was my crew’s Duty Weekend. As a volunteer firefighter we rotate weekends as to who is going to do truck checks and equipment testing. This was our weekend!
There’s a couple of ventilation fans on engine 1 that are wedged into one compartment. Depending on who put them in there last getting them out of there can be easy or a nightmare. I had a nightmare! As I twisted and turned the fan to extract it from its tiny hovel, I felt a twinge in my lower back. Great!
In the minutes following I could feel my back start to tighten. By the evening I was full on crippled by it. I was walking like a Circus Muscleman me chest pressed out, arms back and my but was sticking back further. It was the only way I could walk without falling over.
Monday morning I couldn’t get out of bed. It was agony. I stretched and was pill popping all day long. I was putting heat packs on my lower back all day long. By evening I was loose enough that I thought I might be able to run Tuesday.
Tuesday I got in a four miler (I think) but it wasn’t easy. The run seemed to tighten everything back up again so by Wednesday I was the Circus Muscleman again. Thursday was no different from Wednesday.
To make a long story short, it is now Tuesday, nine days after hurting my back. My original taper plan was to cut my volume down by about half while maintaining my frequency. It hasn’t quite gone that way.
All my plans, all my training, all my hopes and aspirations are fading as I get closer to race day and I still can’t get out of bed without pain. At this point Wednesday (tomorrow) will be a decision day.
Tomorrow I’m going to get out of bed. That will be the first hurdle. Next I’m going to lace up the shoes (Hurdle two). Then I’m going to go out for a 4 mile run. On the last couple of runs I could feel my legs and back tighten up as I went along. I knew that by the end of the run and the hours that followed would be a battle against a stiffening body.
If this happens then I’m going to call it off. If I can’t run 4 on Wednesday I definitely won’t be able to complete 50 miles three days later. At least I could cancel the hotel room. The entry fee is non-refundable. But I digress.
I know everything will be okay. I know I’ve got all my training in the bank now. If I can just get past this I can run walk and crawl a 50 miler.
This will be my last recording before race day. I’ll be recording on Saturday whether I’m running or not.
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