Last races before the pain got to be too much.

The scene, mid 2013, registration had been done for two events, there was tremendous excitement. Running on The Great Wall of China, a dream realized!

Running in Sydney, Australia. finish line, the iconic Sydney Opera House, Epic!

Training began in earnest around November/December 2012, figuring on a May date for the Great Wall, and expecting a difficult uphill/steps race. The fact that we would be going back to Florida in December, was a welcome change. The chance for some cooler weather meant that training could really "kick up a notch" for those few weeks. Then...everything fell apart. I started experiencing the hip pain in late November 2012. Thinking it was just a symptom of the step up in training, hills and steps being worked in to the process. I just intensified my post workout recovery, Ice, rolling, neuromuscular work, compression. Thinking that would help, I continued the intensity. It did not help, in fact it got worse. As the date of The Great Wall Marathon (1/2 for me) drew near, I knew that in as much pain as I was I could not train properly, there was no way that I was going to miss the event, even if I had to walk  most of it. 

Undertrained, in pain, off to Beijing I went. It did not begin well with a seriously delayed flight into Beijing.i missed my pickup time at the airport. Finally got everything arranged and got to the hotel, so I could get 2-3 hours of sleep before a 3:00am call out to get on the bus to the site. The Huangyaguan Pass section of the Great Wall, Beijing China, overcast a slight drizzle and surprisingly warm temps made the outlook less than favorable. At this point all I wanted to do was finish before the cutoff.The race began with an uphill road course towards the entrance to the wall, mostly business and rural backroad. Then came the climb. difficult would be an understatement, and since to pain to flex at the hip was so great, I could not easily go up or come down some of the steeper sections. It came to a point at the top of one incline that I had to stop and try and get the bad leg to stop shaking. I also had some douchbag behind me breathing down my neck, like your going to win the thing asshole. I have determined that "tourist" races tend to bring out this particular form of A-Hole. The attitude is one of " I spent a great deal of money to come here so you all need to accommodate ME!" Nice. Anyway, the Wall itself was everything it was sold to be tough and unforgiving. Once off the wall however things did not get easier. the short road section was then replaced by a loose gravel/dirt track through the village. This was another different but equally challenging and unforgettable experience. Lots of locals out to watch the crazy runners. the cheered and the kids all wanted a high five, it was really great. Then the race ended with about a two mile section back on the road, i paced with a group for a little while, until the framing and pain became unbearable. I finished in just under 3 hours, which as undertrained and in pain as I was...pretty good. What an experience. If I had the chance I would love to do it again, healthy and having trained properly. 

Sydney Blackmores Running Festival 

22nd September 2013...This is one that I nearly passed on. We got a chance to go back to Florida over the summer, Brenna was out of school and Rox needed to travel for work to Mexico, so it was a good chance to get some Florida time during the summer months. I took it easy for a few weeks after Great Wall in May, so I was feeling...OK...not great and not better, but OK. I was back in the gym and was hoping that strengthening the muscles would help. Running back in Florida, fixed nothing, in fact, I think the excitement of being home and pushing it a bit hurt the process. I came back from that trip home in bad shape...I could not miss this race though. I did not skip it for 3 reasons....#1 it is a flat, almost downhill course, so even slow I could do ok. #2 it would be cool, so I would not overheat quickly and possibly avoid the cramping that has occurred in the higher temps. #3 this would be my last chance to do this race as we would be going back to the states permanent in July. So in pain and knowing that under normal circumstances this would be a race I could PR...off to Sydney I went. I love Sydney...Hell, I love Australia.I would live in Australia if I could, so getting a few more days there was worth it. Race day dawned..

It was cold...I mean COLD, which was nice to get some confidence. I was actually able to run well through the first 10k...the last 11k, terrible. It hurt and hurt badly at times. There were moments when it hurt to walk. I have never DNF'd a race and for a time it looked like this might be the first. I did finish, the disappointing thing is that I finished in under 2 hours, by my GPS and in 2 hours flat based on their timing. That is disappointing because my best 1/2 finish is 1:48. If I can run a sub 2 hour/2 hour 1/2 walking most of it, I could have PR'd this one for sure. 

So despite a disappointing finish and a real wake-up call that something is defiantly wrong...I did get a great ribeye at a little bistro on Circular Quay. Other than a 10k that I did in the US in December which was really bad, my racing and running ended not long after this. Surgery was in February and here we are. 

I have however been in the gym, doing my very basic 20% weight bearing core work on the stability ball. I have also been riding the stationary bike for 30 min 3-4 days per week. I am feeling stronger and there is no pain, which is good. I have signed up for a few local races in September to give me some motivation. I am also registered for the Charlotte NC 1/2 marathon in November, Gasparilla in February of 2015 and Sarasota 1/2 in March of 2015. I am praying I will be able to prepare for those properly. Thanks for reading, Run Happy!