2h56 in a steam room

Bichon
Bichon
Sep 4, 2018 · 6 min read

Executive summary

Whilst meeting my aunt, cousin and nephew for the first time in the Ukraine a week before the 100km World Championships, I self-diagnosed myself as possessing strengthening perfectionistic tendencies. I discovered this when I set a goal to last alone in a steam room for the duration of what it takes me to run 42.3km.

There’s not much one can do in a steam room; you can’t read, you can’t bring a laptop in, and there’s no music or TV.

I started my time belting my lungs out singing my favourite hymns until being told off by the gym staff.

I then dragged my mum in for as long as she could last with me (10 minutes)

The rest of the time I spent thinking.

During this time I learnt three key lessons I wish to share.

Lesson #1 – seeing the bigger picture

Three weeks ago I reflected on the radiating joy in my life, almost too good to be true, and my readiness for the next wave of challenges. The first set of waves came at me, and I let myself momentarily be washed around by these waves, before the big revelation that allowed me to ride that glassy set to the shore.

Well the second set of waves came at me after hopping off the 32.5 hour journey to the Ukraine (featuring flight delay at Vienna). So excited to be niggle-free, I was so driven to go for my 10km progressive run on Saturday, and submissive to my dad’s protective nature of his now-only daughter, so opted for the not-so-usual-for-me treadmill expedition. By 2km I had brought up the pace to 100km race pace and started noticing this unusual feeling in my hamstring. After being given the thumbs up to run outside from my very-accommodating husband poised next to me on the bike in the gym, cautious-me made my way outside in the heat of Kiev.

Taking coach Brendan’s advice of injuries and niggles (‘if you can run and you’re not changing your gait, keep on training!’), I continued on with his program for the next couple of days.

My thoughts outside of the training, whilst exploring Kiev, communicating in my broken Ukrainian with my family, were very pre-occupied on this hamstring. It probably didn’t help that the only clothes I packed for this trip were running clothes, trying to balance out my 23kg with the immense load of nutritional goodies I had in my luggage, mostly for the race but also for my routine snacks.

I’ve got to fix this hamstring. I’ve got to control this. It’s just not right.

My thoughts would mull around and around, in motion with the Fisiocrem I was frequently applying to the region and getting Jerel to massage in.

It was when my dad, who hadn’t seen me since May, had asked me to reflect on my training to get to where I was today, and I talked about the last 3 weeks, Jerel stopped me mid-sentence:

“You’re reflecting on your training based on the last 3 weeks sube! Let me pull you back and remind you of the last 9 months. 9 months ago you were running 41:XX 10km, couldn’t get under 20 minutes for a 5km, avoided hills at all costs, barely scrapped under an hour for the City2Surf. Over the last 9 months, particularly in the last 3 months you have smashed all that! Not only your improvements in times (2+ minute for 5km, 4+ minute for 10km, 5 minute for City2Surf and 6 minute for marathon), but you have been eating hills for breakfast literally!”

He was right. We always joke about our one flesh-ness and how emotions wear on one another. Well the same goes for that pulling me out of my unnecessary rut focusing on a momentary wave the size a jet boat makes traveling and 20km/h.

Lesson # 2 – flexibility or managing expectations about temporary lack of flexibility

The last few months have been very routine for me, fitting in up to 200km of training per week, living 3 nights a week in the blue mountains (and the consequential 1.5 hour commute each way), starting a new exciting role in management consulting, and following a fun but prepared meal plan. I had warned my family that having a holiday before the race might not be the best idea in terms of dedicating my headspace to family bonding. It was the only way to fit it into my parent’s day-by-day 4 month planned trip so we booked our flights, with a touch of nervousness.

My current inflexible tendencies came to light on day 1; the need to get to bed by 8 or 9pm, to stay for an hour per day in the steam room, to run outdoors, to eat what my nutritionist had recommended (basically everything aside from cheese-filled pizzas and sweets, just watching the portions all-round including bringing out my measuring cup on occasion).

Again, my better half during this stay (and most of the time actually), Jerel, challenged these tendencies as I initially turned down a late dinner invite in light of wishing to stay in: “But why do you need to go to bed at 8:30pm? You don’t have squad training to get up for. The gym doesn’t open until 6:30am.”

And then after the dinner when I was arranging my run the next morning with my nephew, Sasha, in broken Ukrainian/English, asking to meet at 7:35 to get my 1 hour steam room in, my mum stepped in this time:

“Lariss-isch-ka. Don’t confuse poor Sasha who doesn’t speak English that well. Just meet him at 7:30am and do a little less time in the steam room.”

I insisted. Secretly hoping the gym staff would get there closer to 6:15am the next day so I could do both ;)

Lesson # 3 – trust

So I’m sitting on the plane right now from Kiev to Vienna and will be arriving at the athlete village in Sveti Martin Na Muri tomorrow. My hamstring isn’t perfect but it’s not stopping me from running or doing speed work. My fitness doesn’t feel as good as it did 3 weeks ago from the lower volume I had been training with the first niggle, but I still feel comfortable running at race pace. My 10km time in a tempo run in Kiev was not my best but I still won that race.

I’ll be getting off the plane and going to Wien Physio for some dry needling. My German isn’t perfect but it’s fluent enough to get this done. Just as I reflected last week, following a week of the plot thickening, here is to trusting in the Lord that His will may be done and to stop being such a control freak☺

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