I probably did not approach the topic in the best way this morning with my coach. I basically said I completely disagreed with it being a rest day or at the most swim day, and that I was going to run, but would explain my reasoning to him first. Thankfully, his reaction was to laugh. And, he was in agreement before I finished the first sentence of the entire speech I planned to argue my case. So, I got to participate in the run class this morning - within some well-defined parameters.
The surprising thing was, I actually did pretty well with the running attempts I made. I did not do the 2 lap warmup. I wasn't planning to go far today. I just wanted to see if I could do 200-400m without pain. I did a really short 200m warmup very slow and easy. Then I did a 200m run with an acceleration to almost race pace and then deceleration to the end. It was okay. It didn't hurt. So I asked if on the 2nd one I could run back and make it a 400m - with the first 200m being an acceleration and the 2nd 200m just being an easy jog back. It was almost scary how fast coach agreed to it. I ran it completely fine. I was good. No pain - as long as I focused on my form. I went to do the 3rd 200 - and I felt my form get "off" a little and I could tell it wasn't great. Coach picked up on a few changes in form and pointed them out. We were on the same page. The group then was to do 1-2 laps easy as the end of the workout. I made it about 75m and said "nope." It hurt. Walked back. Tried again going the other way - in the grass at coach's suggestion. For some reason the grass made me more timid and wasn't helping. 100m later I moved to the asphalt. I felt myself getting afraid and then stopped again. I walked a little further, thinking to myself, "this is all a mental block. That's not good." I also realized that when I tried to run slower - in like a shuffle gait, it hurt more. So I decided to run back as much as I could in good form at the pace I was doing earlier on the 200m and 400m. It felt better and didn't hurt - but I couldn't hold that pace. After some discussion, I called it a day on the track and went in to hit the pool.
I probably did too much in the pool today - and I hope it doesn't come back to bite me tomorrow evening. But - it felt good. It was a great aerobic workout, with some stretching and building lung capacity.
I taught 4 swim lessons back to back, then did a few more laps in the pool (I can't help it).
Went home - and found my new running shoes had arrived. I of course HAD to go try them out - but was afraid of the reaction it would cause if I just went. Plus, I was tired. It had been a long morning. I ate lunch, asked permission to test out the shoes, rested, ran some errands, and still haven't gone out on a test run. It's just been a long day. Maybe in the morning.
I feel much better about tomorrow's race, just knowing that I was able to do some stuff today. Even if I can't run the whole race tomorrow, I'm happy with where I'm at and where I'm heading. I know my body (especially my nerves) may need some more downtime, especially before the tough race schedule hits in August. I know I need to listen more and resist less. And I know more than ever, my coach is clearly by my side in all of this - good and bad. I'm not alone in any of this. I love that I can speak what's on my mind without fear or hesitation. I love that he gets it the majority of the time. I love that he already knows what I'm going to say or what I'm going to do before I do it most of the time. It's a relief to not be afraid to try and fail, or to take a step back, or to say I'm afraid. We actually talked today about the different coaching styles. I'm so thankful I found him and that we're in this together. I don't know how things are going to end up tomorrow evening at the race, but I do know I have an amazing coach and awesome team behind me, no matter what happens. That's such a comforting thing to know with certainty.
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