What If…

Training

I’ve been sitting at my desk since I woke up this morning, staring at the computer screen as I absent mindedly flip between the blank white screen of Windows Live Writer and the taunting registration form for the Columbia Triathlon.

columbia tri registration

{I’m already signed up through a charity team, but I have to make my entry official. By today.}

I thought I’d have a clear cut answer after Saturday’s {awesome} run. But here I am, still wavering.

During and after the race my knee felt great, but I’ve been around the block enough to know that post-race is hardly the time to make an educated decision about an injury. Whether it’s the after-run endorphin high or just delayed-onset pain, I know from experience it’s not how it feels after the run that matters.

It’s how it feels the day after the run that matters.

And frankly, yesterday, as the day went on, my knee started to hurt.

But I was thrown for a loop. Caught off guard. My IT band didn’t hurt. At all. {Victory!!}.

However, my kneecap….that hurt.

To be honest, I was expecting my IT band to be killing me. I was fully prepared for it to hurt…to scream as I walked down the stairs Sunday morning. To tell me exactly what to do about racing. But it didn’t. I didn’t know what to make of my kneecap hurting instead, and I went to bed not knowing what decision I was going to make in the morning.

I still don’t know what decision I’m going to make. My knee feels great today. IT band? Check. Kneecap? Check. All systems go…

Except I still don’t know what I want to do. I know what my brain says and I know what my heart says- only what they’re saying isn’t clear cut; the lines are blurred.

I feel great today, but the what ifs are bothering me. What if I train and I get to 5 miles and I can’t do anymore? What if I train and it all goes well, and then come race day, I can’t do it? What if I have to resign to a DNF? How does that make the people that donated money to the team feel?

And what if I train and it goes fantastic and I get to do the tri I’ve wanted to do since I knew what a tri was?

9 Comments

  1. emma
    emma on April 11, 2011 at 10:14 am
    Hmmmm.....it's a tricky decision to make. Can you defer your entry if you sustain injury or can't take part? If so, enter and see how things go. If doing a tri is a dream then of yours then shoot for it. My dad always used to say "Shoot for the moon and if you don't make it, at least you'll land among the starts" :-)Reply
    • Heather
      Heather on April 11, 2011 at 4:49 pm
      Nope, can't defer.... I LOVE that quote. I used to have t-shirt with that on...I was a complete dork.Reply
  2. Kristi
    Kristi on April 11, 2011 at 10:22 am
    I think you will never know the answer to you what ifs unless you try. If you can't finish.. so what. At least you tried. If you train and then the day of the race you can't do it. What have you lost? I think you should definitely sign up...!Reply
  3. Stacy
    Stacy on April 11, 2011 at 11:46 am
    You will never know unless you try! I say go for it! The worst thing that can happen is that you have to pull out of the race. You will always be haunted by the "what if's" unless you go for it!Reply
  4. Kara
    Kara on April 11, 2011 at 12:42 pm
    I say go for it! Kneecap pain can be from a tight IT band, so it's probably not a big deal and easily foam rolled away :)Reply
    • Heather
      Heather on April 11, 2011 at 4:50 pm
      My IT band rebels against the foam roller hahaReply
  5. Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun
    Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun on April 11, 2011 at 2:55 pm
    Go for it!!! We more often regret the things we DON'T do instead of the things we do.Reply
  7. Elizabeth
    Elizabeth on April 11, 2011 at 6:12 pm
    I understand the hesitation when it comes to injury. I would sign up for the triathlon, but under the condition that if your body starts telling you you should drop out, listen to your body. As much as you are looking forward to this race, you don't want to hurt yourself so badly that you can't participate in others. To sum up: PROCEED WITH CAUTION =) P.S. We're all here for you no matter what!Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *