Going The Distance…
I am not a runner. I may love most forms of exercise, but long distance running is something that I just can’t wrap my head around. It’s not the endurance that bothers me; it’s the mental game. Before I started training for this 10-mile race, I think the farthest I had ever made it was like 5 miles. Why would anyone ever want to run farther than that? Isn’t that why we have cars? You are probably asking yourself, “well, if you hate running, then why did you sign up to run a 10-mile race?” And while I dislike running, I also hate turning down a challenge even more.
When Nava Health and Vitality Center approached me a few months back to try their NavaRace package, while I prepped for the Baltimore 10-Miler, and blog about the entire journey, I thought that it would be awesome to treat my body to some extra care because lord knows I beat it up with the amount of lifting and CrossFit that I do. I also knew 10 miles would be a challenge for me, and that is one of the reasons I decided to go through with this. I am competitive by nature, so I rarely back down from a challenge, and frankly, I was curious how these treatments would help my body as I prepped for my first long distance race.
I started the entire journey about 6 weeks out from race day and had all of the suggested treatments done under the Race Prep Package that Nava offers, including chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, hyperbaric oxygen chamber and IV therapy. Most of these treatments were new to me, as I had never had acupuncture, IV therapy or been in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, but I was pleasantly surprised how great each treatment made me feel while I trained. The oxygen treatment might have been one of my favorites because I felt so energized and felt like my breathing while I ran and trained was much improved.
I think that taking care of our bodies is something that many of us forget about when we are training for something. They work so hard for us, and we put them through a lot of distress when doing rigorous training, and most of the times we do nothing to help them repair. So this experience was surely eye opening for me.
Along with the race prep I was doing with Nava, I also did a little training on my own. I never stopped or slowed down my CrossFit training, which in hindsight, I should have done because I think that hindered my training a bit. I slowly made my way up to 7 miles, which was as far as I got before the race. Mentally, I felt like I couldn’t make it passed that 7 mile marker because when I was running by myself while training, it felt like an eternity and I couldn’t think of anything else but to stop. But race day was a bit different. There were so many people there, the energy was high and once my adrenaline kicked in, I was raring to go! I also had my sweet and supportive husband there by my side, who decided to sign up with no race prep treatments or training. Now that’s commitment!
I felt great for the first 4 miles and kept a very steady pace that I knew I could stick with for the entire 10 miles without stopping. But of course, right around mile 4 I felt excruciating pain on the bottom of my foot and realized a giant blister was coming in. That made for a very painful and slower paced 6 miles as I finished the race, but luckily I had a great playlist and a bit of adrenaline left to finish strong! After the race was over, I felt such a sense of relief but also accomplishment. I did it! I finished my first 10 mile race! My foot hurt like hell and my legs felt pretty sore right away, but I was DONE! After I rehydrated, I made my way back to the finish line to watch my 6’4″ husband finish the race after no training, which was probably the most impressive thing that happened all day! We immediately made our way to the Nava Recovery Zone tent for massage and a little body work to get us walking again because even after the training that I did, those 10 hilly miles do a number on your joints.
It took a few days for me to bounce back from the race, mostly due to the blister and knee pain, but by Monday I was just about as good as new. Following the race, I had the Meyers IV Cocktail and then a massage, which was a nice way to say thank you to my body after I put it through the hell of running 10 miles through Baltimore. It took my hubby a few additional days to recover, but that is to be expected with zero training, being 6’4″ and also not going through the initial treatments that I had done. I am so thankful for Nava and their amazing treatments to get me through my pre and post race training and recovery with ease.
Now that the race is over and I am back to my normal CrossFit training, I can look back and say that I have successfully checked that box. I have completed a 10-mile race, and I was mentally tough enough to get through it! At this point, if you asked me if I plan to run another 10-mile race or shoot for a half marathon, my answer would be no. But who knows, someone else could challenge me and I might be right back to training but for now my next challenge is competing in my first CrossFit competition! And thanks to Nava and my coaches, I’m ready to conquer that first goal as well!
I want to invite all you lovelies to try out The Nava Method for yourself! Call 1800 762 6282 to make an appointment, and use the code 52Thursdays to receive a complimentary service following your wellness diagnostic.
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8880 McGaw Road Suite B
Columbia, MD 21045
5 Wisconsin Circle
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
1800 M Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
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North Bethesda, MD 20852
This post was sponsored by Nava Health and Vitality Center. All opinions and photos are my own.
Photos by Emma Weiss
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