Yeah, I Have Issues

This week started out pretty great.  I had a coach lined up by Sunday evening, and it just so happens that we grew up in neighboring towns in south Louisiana...love it.  He immediately did VO2 testing on me and laid out the week's training plan....the week was off to a GREAT start!

I felt a strange pain in my foot Monday evening but chose to ignore it.  I was then greeted by the stabbing pain as soon as I stepped out of bed Tuesday morning.  I decided to suck it up and run anyway.  The pain was sharp, but tolerable, and it even seemed to dull a little during the run.  I don't go to the doctor until Tuesday, but I'm pretty sure it's planters facetious.  So far it hasn't stopped me from running, but I would like to take care of it before it becomes a major issues.  I've already dealt with nasty shin splints, pain in my leg from my hips being out of place, and IT Band Syndrome this season.  I've been feeling pretty good for the last couple of weeks, so it was inevitable for another running-related issue to develop. 


On Thursday evening I went out for a one hour bike ride.  With about 10 minute to go, I clipped the side of the curb and took a hard fall.  My head and shoulder took the brunt of the impact.  Luckily I fell in the grass so I didn't get scraped up.  I happened to be right by my car so I called it day. It's been two days and my shoulder is still a little sore.  I'll have the Dr. check that out too next week. 

This morning I headed out for a two hour ride, determined to stay vertical. A few miles into the ride I knew something wasn't right with my gears.  A few minutes later I dropped my chain going up a hill.  My friend Lee helped me put it back on, and off we went...for a few more feet.  After I dropped the chain the second time I was done and told Lee to go on.  My dear friend Liz picked me and my bike up off the side of the road and took me back to my car.  Since I had a little time before the bike shop opened I moved my Sunday run to today.  That, surprisingly, went great! When I got home and tried to upload the data from my work out to the computer, but my heart rate zones didn't show up.  Darn!  Coach would have been proud because I actually stayed in the zone he told me to. 

I paid Plano Cycle a visit to get my ride fixed.  I bent something on the bike when I fell on Thursday, but they were able to fix it while I waited.  Since my helmet did such a nice job of protecting my head during the crash, I decided to retire it.  They say helmets are designed to protect you once.  Because I was buying another Specialized helmet, the company gave me a discount  for turning my old one in...score!  I've had my old helmet for three years so it was probably time for a new one anyway.  That helmet has endured thousands of miles on my sweaty head. 

While I did encounter a lot of issues this week, there was nothing too serious.  Injuries heal and bikes can be fixed. The bumps in the road are just a part of the journey that I am so excited to be on.  I can't wait to see what's in store next week!

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." Finding Nemo