Cold Butt and Self Control

Can you guess what this is?

Does the Gatorade Recovery Drink give you a clue?

Its how I have been recovering from my longer runs.  So much better than sitting in an ice bath, and as long as the snow is here, I will make good use of it.  This was especially helpful for my butt and hamstrings, although I was numb for a while.

Anything to keep healthy, that's what I am all about.  In a column she wrote for Runner's World,  Lauren Fleshman talks about the dangers of feeling really good in your training.  I especially like this:

"The better things are going, the more invincible you feel.   Keep getting better and you keep getting crazier."

This is how I am feeling right now and frankly, it is almost worse than being injured.  Feeling good leads to making really stupid choices, and with just 4 weeks to go until my race, I cannot afford to do that.  I am no stranger to these invincible feelings.  Just two years ago, and only two days before a race that I had trained well for, I decided to go to the gym and "just work my upper body."  I thought that if I just stuck with my arms, what could happen?  Well, a couple hours later I was madly searching google for orthopedic surgeons who could repair a ruptured bicep muscle.  Needless to say, I did not make that race.

This time though, I am not taking any chances.  While I feel amazing, and even though I have an obsession about making sure I am doing everything I can to be successful at Umstead, I do realize that part of that is not doing too much.  I have a busy weekend ahead of me that will include two very long days at work and a 30 mile run.  And even though I am feeling so good, I am fighting the urge to go out and "just do a little more."  At the end of the day, I would rather be adequately trained and healthy rather than overtrained an injured.  And there are worse things...