Sunday, April 21, 2024

An Unintentional DNS

Remember that trail race I recently signed up for? Run From the Taxman? Apparently, I put the race on the calendar for the wrong Saturday. I thought the race was taking place on the 20th, but it was last Saturday the 13th. When I saw one of my trail friends sharing her results on Facebook last Saturday, I had the strangest feeling of disbelief come over me. How could this have happened? That I mixed up the date on such an important event really bothered me and the unease was hard to shake.

This whole week was unsettling and it wasn't just the DNS that threw me off. I was home all week to care for Cocoa. She wouldn't leave my side the whole time. She also wouldn't eat or drink for the first couple of days. She was on quite a few medications when I brought her home and I wondered if they were causing her nausea. They also gave her a nausea medication but it didn't seem to make a difference. On Tuesday, I removed the fentanyl patch, thinking maybe that was causing some side effects. That helped a lot--she started behaving more like herself, wanting to chase her ball, and eventually eating more food.

Meanwhile, I tackled a lot of little household projects that needed to be done. Like washing the baseboards and the china cabinet. Organizing the closets. Gathering items for Goodwill. The interesting thing, at least to me, is that when you don't clean your own house (I have a cleaning lady every month), you don't notice what isn't being cleaned--until it becomes really gross. It felt good to get that stuff done! I also pulled weeds and old plants in my perennial garden and am trying to decide what I want to plant there.

Weekly Rundown:
Sunday: rest--pick up Cocoa
Monday: trail run 9.2 miles
Tuesday: CrossFit
Wednesday: run 5.2 miles
Thursday: CrossFit
Friday: run 6.2 miles
Saturday: rest

After consulting Accuweather on Monday morning, I moved my workouts around. The beautiful weather we had on Sunday continued into Monday, and I swapped CF for a trail run. I set out with a plan to do about 6 miles, but ended up with over 9! First stop, the piney woods where the deer hang out. I crashed a deer party early Monday morning, with about 20 of them congregating. Some took off running when I approached, but a group of 6 held back and let me approach. A few of the deer were curious and approached me! Not wanting to scare them, I waited for them to move on and when they did, I continued on my way. 


The trails were much less muddy than last week. I did slip into the creek once on one of my many creek crossings. Other than that, this run was uneventful and really enjoyable! It almost made up for missing my race. Almost.


On Tuesday, I went to CrossFit. After an extended warmup, we tackled the MetCon (no strength work in this WOD): 


I was excited to get back on the rope but became frustrated when I struggled with the climbs. I couldn't get my footing which limited my ability to pull myself up. I had already planned to do only one full climb and 2 partial, which was a good plan. I went lighter than I should have on the front squats and cleans, and those were no problem for me. After class, I spoke with SJ and we are going to get together to break down those rope climbs. 


The wind was blowing on Wednesday--what to do? Where to run? I drove to the library that borders the bike path to avoid the section that runs through an open field. I wanted to access the section with some tree cover, with the hopes that it might mitigate the wind. It was a good idea but didn't work out that way. I ran out into the wind, but on my return, I had the wind behind me. It was so strong that it pushed me forward! Since I had given up on getting any kind of quality run done, I stopped at a park to work on handstands. The run completely sapped my energy. Cocoa and I spent some quality time together on the couch while I recovered!


Thursday's WOD was a fun one! For the strength portion, coach put 12 minutes on the clock and we worked through bandbell walks--kettlebells hanging from a PVC pipe via a resistance band that we overhead press while walking one lap, 100m empty sled push while running, and 8-10 ring swings, focusing on technique. I did 4 rounds of this. For the MetCon, we did a chipper 40-30-20-10-5 of wallballs alternating with 5-4-3-2-1 ring muscle-ups. Between each activity, we had to do 2 laps of shuttle runs. I don't have RMUs, so I did low ring turnovers. I finished in 11:45. 

I woke up early on Friday but not quite early enough to see the sunrise. I had a quick cup of coffee and zipped over to the retention pond when I saw the giant orange sun on the horizon. Do you think the police would have accepted my excuse for speeding? I also wanted to beat the wind, which was predicted to pick up as the morning went on. Just like last Friday, I had a surprisingly speedy run--I wasn't expecting it, but I went with it. My last mile was my fastest at 9:07. It felt great!



Next week it's back to my normal routine, including work. Cocoa will get her stitches out on Wednesday and then we can get rid of the cone. We're trying to figure out how to live with a dog who can't hear and that will be a work in progress. We didn't realize that we've already been using hand signals to get her to come and sit, and that has helped a lot. 

I'm still trying to decide if I want to find another race, and if so, which one. I'm really enjoying just running, but it is nice to have something to train for. While cleaning out the closets, I found my old Timex Ironman watch--which I used to run with in the days before Garmin. It reminded me of how running used to be as simple as lacing up my shoes and heading out the door. I love letting my running shoes take me for a ride. Maybe that will be enough for now. We'll see.

How was your week? Have you ever mixed up the dates for a race and missed it? Have you been battling the wind this week? Do you feel that you have to race to be a runner?

 I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown. 



30 comments :

  1. Bummer about the race! I'll bet you were preoccupied with Cocoa's impending surgery. Poor baby, I hope the worst is all behind her now, and that you enjoyed your week off, at least a little!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG on that race — that sounds like something I’d do, although in the past I’ve made a different mistake and forgotten to actually sign up for a race.

    I’m glad Cocoa is on the mend. You got a lot done around the house — I’m sure that feels so good now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so glad I got those projects done. But there's just so much more!

      Delete
  3. I am so glad to read the Cocoa is doing better-she did have a fab nurse. Agreed that you don’t notice spots that are not getting cleaned. That happened over here this week too. I know you were disappointed in the race, but there is always another one to run. Impressed how you are tackling that rope climbing again after your accident

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm missing all the upper body work SJ and I used to do together. I need to start doing more work on the bar!

      Delete
  4. Sorry you missed your race!
    As someone who has done very little racing, I've always loved the quote by John Bingham, "If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I know that quote...but mentally, I am not that runner, lol. I need to figure out what I kind of runner I want to be at this point.

      Delete
  5. I've definitely mixed up dates before, although I don't think I've ever missed a race because of it. I can see how that would be very disorienting and frustrating! And, it's a reminder to all of us- DOUBLE CHECK THOSE DATES. I agree with Marcia- I think you were distracted by everything that was happening with Cocoa. Glad she's feeling better and can get the cone off soon.
    One of my main motivations for signing up for a race is to get to run on different trails I wouldn't get to see normally (my race at the end of May is about four hours away.) But you've got so many great trail options near you. I could see you signing up for another race, OR doing some kind of IAT personal challenge this summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd definitely like to explore more of the IAT--I have done most of the segments that are in southern Wisconsin but would like to hit up more of the northern ones. That would require an overnight stay...can I do it by myself?

      Delete
  6. Oh Wendy, I am sorry that you missed that trail race you were so looking forward to running. My husband and I once DNS'd a marathon because halfway to the race we stopped for gas and we'd both forgotten our wallets. We didn't think we had enough gas to get to the race venue and back home so we turned around there. :-(

    I'm happy to hear that Cocoa is starting to return to her old self. That's a good sign!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I realized I forgot my phone this morning when I got to the trailhead! Had to go back and get it. I'm on a roll!

      Delete
  7. The wind has been relentless. And it's not gusts, but sustained wind. Everyday. It is a little freaky when the tailwind is so strong that it pushes like that!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my goodness! Mixing up race dates is something that easily could happen to me! Maybe this was supposed to happen - you were too pre-occupied with Cocoa and probably wouldn't have had the head space for a good race anyway.
    That Crossfit workout with the bandbell walks sounds fun! We've never done that. Great job on the rope climbs, too!
    Does Cocoa have a complete hearing loss or can she hear muffled sounds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sadly, Cocoa has complete hearing loss. I think she notices something's different because she's been very clingy and anxious. I am sure once she gets the stitches out and the cone is off, she'll feel better. Sigh.

      Delete
  9. Oh no - so sorry about the race date mixup. I definitely could see that happening to me these days - with so much going on with my 3 kiddos, if it's not on my calendar, it's easy for me to forget what I have going on in my own life. Glad Cocoa is hopefully on the mend -- thinking of you guys!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As long as you don't put things on the wrong date! LOL. I feel you on that busyness!

      Delete
  10. I'm so sorry about the missed race! You certainly got some good trail running done this week though. Your trails there are fabulous!
    Happy to hear Cocoa is doing better, and great news she'll get rid of the cone soon! It's so annoying for animals to wear that thing.
    I agree it's so good to get that cleaning done around the house and in the garden too. What a treat when we get some extra space to put some new plants!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh no. Sorry about the race. But glad to hear that Cocoa is improving.

    I really need to CLEAN! And weed! But if you read my blog, I can use the not home as my excuse.

    Nope, you can be a runner and not race. For me, racing is enjoyable and keeps me motivated.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh wow what a bummer about the race - I know that was disappointing :(

    I hope Cocoa is feeling better - hopefully getting the cone off will help her to settle in more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It looks like I'll have a chance for redemption, lol--I found another trail race!

      Delete
  13. Oh dang, that sucks about the race! That would be hard to shake for me too. My family won't let me forget the one or two times I have put something in the calendar wrong. BUT, considering that I put pretty much 99% of everyone's events into our shared calendar, they really need to give that a break. It's a lot of work keeping track of everything!
    You look so strong on the handstand. Go you!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh what a rough week! I'm so sorry you have been going through all this! Missing the race would have totally thrown me for a loop, and then pairing that with Cocoa's recovery... Wendy, it's a lot.
    I hope you are able to take some deep breaths and take some time to just take care of you. <3

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a shame about the race! I messed up a whole conference once, booked accommodation and trains for the wrong weekend, if that helps! I tripped up a step last week and was at the physio today, thankfully I have the all clear to run again later in the week. A bit stressful though! (Lyzzybee)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does help! I've had a couple incidents of forgetfulness lately and I hope it's just due to being overwhelmed with life! I hope you are feeling better after your fall!

      Delete