Last Wednesday, I listened to an episode of This American Life called “Embrace the Suck,” featuring stories about people who’ve had shit situations handed to them and decided to make the most of it rather than throw a pity party. While listening, I realized embracing the suck was exactly what I had been doing all week, and I was having a blast.
When I found out I was injured, it felt like the sky was falling down. I was a mess of anxious hormones and tears. But as I settled into the reality of my lack of control over the situation, the storm calmed and something very odd happened — the world didn’t end. Instead, I had the most wonderful week of cross-training. Now that I have been cleared to run by my doctor, I feel I should pay homage to my rehab process with a reflection on the past few sessions.
Monday: 1:30:00 Swim
After receiving the comforting news of my hopeful recovery from my doctor, I was in a wonderful mood. Having already completed two rehab sessions on the Friday and Saturday before (a 40-minute bike and a two-hour swim), I was mentally settled into cross-training and ready to take on my 90-minute session in the pool.
Unfortunately for the column’s sake, there are seldom any tantalizing anecdotes to report from lap swimming — I swam 4,000 yards in 90 minutes and that’s all you need to know. However, my post-workout commute home definitely deserves your attention. Post-swim, I was fuzzy-headed from water-clogged ears and the repetition of counting laps. When I exited the Rec to a downpour, it was a shock to the system. I’ve spent the past two months resenting Eugene winter, but as the weather tuned my senses and the feel-good exercise endorphins kicked in, I welcomed the rain, wearing nothing but a sweatsuit and a film of chlorine on my skin.
I felt weirdly euphoric and free as I pumped up University Street on my red beach cruiser with dusk approaching and the heavens unleashing above me. As I glided down the other side, I had to squint in the spitting rain, and when I got home, I was soaking wet and smiling. I didn’t get to run that day and was in a world of pain, but still, I felt amazing.
Tuesday: Quad and hamstring lift
Boring. No one cares. On to the next.
Wednesday: 1:00:00 Stationary bike
Wah wah wah. I hate the stationary bike. I have never, and I mean never, sweat that much in my whole life. If anyone reading this works at the Rec, then PLEASE, for the love of God turn up the AC. Some people like to sweat, but me, not so much. My favorite part of running outside is the wind-drying-your-sweat factor. This is precisely why I hate the stationary bike so much — no airflow. At least on a treadmill, you get the subtle breeze from your body bouncing up and down, but on the bike you must sit and suffer in a pool of your own sweat.
That being said, I am not ashamed to admit I moved bikes three times throughout this workout in search of the coolest spot in the gym. By my third attempt, I had landed on the singular bike in the downstairs cardio wing. Since heat rises, I found myself much more comfortable downstairs and was able to settle into the last 35 minutes of my session without so much panting and loathing. Thanks to Bad Bunny, One Direction and my trusty sweat rag, I survived 23.5 whole miles.
Thursday: Quad and hamstring lift
Oh would you look at that, still no one cares. NEXT.
Friday: 55:00 Swim
On Friday morning, I headed back to the clinic for some treatment on my hip. I saw the same doctor who did work on my toe injury, and I must say, this woman is a sorceress. I was limping when I came in, but after a leg massage, some scrapping of my muscles with strange metal tools and a whole lot of awkward mobility work, I walked out of the clinic pain free.
My post-treatment swim was absolutely electric. I felt fast, agile and flexible. In reality, my swimming form is about as athletic as a dog choking up water as it swims with a tennis ball in its mouth, but man did I feel like an athlete during this session — 2,500 yards in 55 minutes.
Saturday: The Backwards Saturday Sprint Triathlon
Now, for the moment you all have been waiting for, the event of the month: “The Backwards Saturday Sprint Triathlon.” On Friday, my doctor cleared me to run a 5k over the weekend, but three measly miles is not enough to qualify as a Saturday long session, so I had to improvise. Since the Olympic sprint distance triathlon features a 5k run, I decided Saturday was as good of a time as any to give the sport of triathlon a go.
Of course, a real triathlon takes place outdoors and includes timed transitions, but I still got the mileage in (a 5k run, 20k bike and 750m swim). The traditional triathlon order is swim, bike and then run, but since I wasn’t about to bike and run after getting all wet and covered in chlorine, I decided to do it backwards.
Up first: the run. I’ve been having stress dreams about running all week — scenarios where I have to run, but when I try, I realize I’ve completely forgotten how to. So, I think a part of me actually believed that when I got on the treadmill, I wouldn’t know what to do. After spending way too much time dilly dallying with dynamic stretches, I conquered my irrational fear and gave it a go.
I’ve been limping and favoring my left leg all week, so my run started out a little lopsided. But as my muscles loosened up and the slight twinge in my hip subsided, I finally hit my stride. Nothing has ever felt so good. I got some very odd looks from the girls on the treadmill next to me as I thumped along because I was grinning ear to ear.
I felt so good at 5k that I surely would’ve kept going if the doctor hadn’t made me swear not to. Plus, the rest of my triathlon awaited, so it was off the treadmill and a 10-foot walk to the stationary bike for a quick 20k spin. During my run, for fear of aggravating my hip, I was cautious and ran a 32 minute 5k. But with the safety of the bike, I began to get competitive, and this silly challenge I came up with turned serious real quick — even though I had no one to compete against.
After a quick 27 minutes and 24 seconds on the bike, it was time for the third and final leg of The Backwards Saturday Sprint Triathlon: the swim. Since I had to fully strip down and suit up again, this transition took a while, but soon I was in the pool and sprinting freestyle. I finished the last event in 14 minutes and 24 seconds for a final time of 1:13:48. I was thrilled, and it was a blast, but I had committed to a three-hour session, so I stayed in the pool for another hour and 45 minutes to finish up the workout.
Moving forward, I will be easing back into running and supplementing my shorter workouts with the addition of biking and swimming. I was extremely upset to have to give up running in the first place, but I made lemons into lemonade and had a better week than I ever could have imagined. Now, I believe that if I can’t finish this marathon, I will find a way to embrace the suck.
