Long view or race IMCHOO?

[Deleted User]

Hi, Rich!  Having a hard time deciding whether to pull out of IMCHOO and live to fight another day (look forward to IMTX next May), or push forward.  Would like to get your thoughts.  (Rereading this before posting, it's basically a massive whine/vent!  But I think I know what I'm going to do ...)

Training this year hasn't been great.  Short races have been fine, actually pretty good, but I haven't been able to put together a decent longer race yet.  Toughman AL wasn't a complete disaster, but it definitely shook my confidence.  Life has gotten in the way of consistent long training (what's harder on a Coastie Wife  -- constant TDY or a deployment? ), and while I've been able to get my swim where I want it, the bike and run aren't where they should be at this point.  

Add to that, I've been fighting a neuroma in my right foot for the past year.  I've finally solved the issue on the bike, but running is painful.  Manageable pain, but pain nonetheless.  So far, changing shoes and inserts haven't helped.  Doc says rest is the best thing, then reevaluate.  I've done plenty of mini-jail stints, but I think I may need some run prison time!  (For years I've had knee problems, and now that they're fixed, something else pops up!  Arg!)

So ... I'm considering pulling out of IMCHOO and focusing on the bike for the next few months.  Get in the pool when I want, and hang up the running shoes for now.  Get this neuroma handled, get some more structure in my life, then gear up for the OS.  I guess I could do IMCHOO as an aquabike, but is that the best use of my time?

Or maybe I should go all-in at the pool -- consolidate gains, build more speed -- so I can put it on the back burner when it's time to ramp up bike/run.  

What do you think?  Race or not?  If not, what to focus on -- bike or swim?  Either way, I'll be in Chattanooga to support the team!  

Thanks!

Paul Hough

I say pass. None of the arguments are compelling to me except the foot neuroma and I would be concerned about doing lasting damage. There is good pain and bad pain in running. You have bad pain. Listen to your doctor.

[Deleted User]

Thanks, Paul. That's about where I am on this. For the past few months, I've gone back and forth between babying my foot/adjusting training for life and suck-it-up-princess mode. If I were pain-free, I would have no problem muscling through the last few weeks of training and slogging through the race -- I've gotten through several long events I had no business doing. Getting the hotfoot problem solved on the bike a month or so ago was a huge breakthrough, and I thought I was back on track. But the running pain ...

I guess I need my betters to tell me to either "suck it up and get it done" OR "tomorrow's another day." It's hard giving it up, though -- after putting off training/racing because of job demands, child, moves, deployments, etc., after years of "wait 'til next year" -- this year was supposed to be my year. That's what keeps me on the fence about this, that's my THING that gets me through the hard spots. I know I'd be better served getting healthy and looking ahead to next year, but I also know that there's no guarantee that I won't be thrown off-track again.

Best laid plans of mice and men and all that.

... and now I' really am just whining ... ;-)

Coach Rich

Hey Catherine,

With how you describe your current situation and where we are on the calendar, I think it's best to punt 2015 and make plans for 2016. This is all just a game and IM isn't going anywhere. Good luck!

[Deleted User]

Thanks, Rich!  I think that should be the plan.  I'll pull out the road bike, have some fun for a bit, and get my foot ready to run in the OS.

I'll definitely be in Chattanooga, though, so if you need an extra pair of hands/eyes, let me know!

Anything I should be doing before the OS?  I may do a few centuries, but mainly unstructured stuff -- just get more miles in my legs and less weight on my body.

Onward and upward to 2016!

Coach Rich

Bike Focus plan is always an option and you can add cycling volume to the Saturday ride as you need to. Good luck!