Well faithful readers, I'm afraid bald girl running is coming to a rather abrupt end, sans marathon medal. After a visit to the doctor to follow up on the leg pain I mentioned briefly in a previous post, I've been ordered to rest for two weeks, at least. I'm still waiting on x-rays to be read, though stress fractures rarely show up until the bone is actually starting to heal, or so I'm told. Once my two weeks of no running is up, the doctor will reassess to decide whether or not I need to be in a walking boot.
Of course I am disappointed. I've been training since October, and I'm so close, only 3.5 weeks out from the race. I worked really hard, juggled a lot of scheduling, woke up really early and went to bed really late, picked running over hanging out with friends and eating food that actually had flavor, and spent countless hours trying to stay out of my own head in order to finish long runs. I also ate GU, which you clearly do not do for fun. (To chew or not to chew?) It's disheartening to make it to a long run of 21 miles only to then be injured and have to mentally prepare to not run the race. So much planning and discipline, and for what now?
After my 21-mile run two weeks ago, I said a few times, "Even if I couldn't run the race, I'd be satisfied because I trained this much." When I didn't know better, that was true. Now? Not so much. It's really sad, and it feels wasted. I know in my head that it wasn't wasted, but my heart is trying to catch up to believe my brain. Give me some time for that one.
I'm already looking at other races, but I was so excited by the prospect of running this race - the only marathon to have all 26.2 miles in the District of Columbia. I love DC, and I love running in DC. The first "replacement" race that came to mind was the Marine Corps Marathon, but I'm waiting on a friend to have a schedule that would allow training and running together, so I'll reserve that for another year. The Baltimore Running Festival is another option, especially since I ran a leg of it last year and could easily train in the city. Financially, I'll have to wait. (Did I mention that I lost a nearly-$100 race fee here? Yeah... about that.)
For now, I guess I'll be swimming and cycling. I'm going to miss running. I think I'll start praying we get a massive snowstorm the weekend of the race. How selfish is that? If you know me, you also know that is drastic, because I hate winter and all things winter-related. Fine, I won't pray for a snowstorm...
Leslie, I am SO sorry. I know how much time and effort you put into training, and I understand what you're saying about your heart not believing your brain. It will take a while. But it wasn't wasted, and you definitely won't lose all your fitness (that was always my fear). Darin would try to cheer me up by telling me how all the great runners have dealt with injuries and that it's a rite of passage ... but it's tougher to deal with when you're just getting started in running and the injury hits. Please keep posting on your blog. I found it to be a good outlet. :) And just know that an injury doesn't last forever. The recovery process is so frustrating, but it's necessary and worth it. I'm thinking of you and praying for quick healing!
ReplyDeleteSorry about your injury - frustrating to be that close to the race, no doubt. Keep in mind that the gains you made - especially from your 21 mile run, will be there when you are able to run again - the next ramp up will be easier and the result will be better because of this training cycle.
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