DNF

For the first time in 6+ yrs, I DNF'd in a race yesterday.  Too much too fast.  I was surprised I felt an injury during my 200m race because I had run at least 100 races without an issue since 2015.  Not serious I think, but a setback.  Even a Ferrari breaks down once in a while.  

I was really puzzled at what it was.  I was racing a 22 yr old who was just 2 steps ahead of me in a 200m race from lane 5, and in the last 50m as I was running down the bank toward the finish, I felt a grind in my buttock area and immediately pulled up.  At first I thought it was my hip joint, but no... it was the same injury I had during last season, a proximal hamstring tendon.  This injury I thought had healed but I did a few things this week that set me up for this event.  Doing my first sets of heavy glute machine without any hip flexor to balance,  doing my first speed workout 2 days before the meet and running hill sprints.   All of these things put extra stress on the tendon, combined with the overstriding one does when running full out in a race down a banked track... I was really crankin', determined to break 26.   And I think I would have because the kid who beat me ran 24.4 and I wasn't much more than a second behind.  

Anyway... I rode my bike today, and I'll be running at some point this week, and I know exactly what I have to do to rehab and strengthen this issue.  I won't be racing a 200m again anytime soon, but I hope to be back racing a 400m in Jan.  Good that this happened now instead of February.   12+ weeks before indoor nationals.  This will also give me time to fully heal my pubalgia and foot.

The last time I had an injury in a race was in 2015 when I had a much more serious tear in my hip flexor.  I used that  rehab time to build my foundation, running longer slower intervals, a lot of over distance.  All that good foundation I think led to my first outdoor National title in Jacksonville later that year.  I also ran my masters PR 200m in that meet: 24.48.  This injury is very much the same.  Only stressed by all out top speed.  Should be able to run 400m race pace in 2 weeks or so.  

I should've not gone to this meet.  So much time waiting.  It ran 2 hrs behind.  I got there at 2:45 and didn't race til almost 6pm.  Was happy to see a few masters friends at the meet.