I saw the sports medicine doc this week. If you recall, I've been having some consistent aches & pains since my last long run, 8 miles, almost two weekends ago. I've been icing, Advil-ing, and stretching. I've been listening to my body and sticking to short 3-4 mile runs. Sports medicine doc was amazing! Super thorough and knowledgeable.
The Good: nothing super serious (as long as I follow doctor's orders and don't too anything too crazy); doc thinks I can likely still run the race
The Bad: I will not be able to train as adequately as I need to for 13.1
The Ugly: I need to lower my expectations
The good news is, there were no major red flags upon thorough examination. My hip/knee issues likely stem from a few muscles being super tight (unbeknownst to me) and some muscles that need strengthening. Together, this makes my running form just a hair "off". The combination of muscle tightness and weakness, set my joints up for irritation the longer the mileage. I left with a series of stretches and strengthening exercises to do at home.
My new best friend (& worst enemy) is the foam roller. Doc strongly suggested adding this piece of equipment to my stretching. Holy mother OUCH! It is like having a deep tissue massage therapist at your disposal 24/7. I could only kick myself for not investing in one sooner. I did not even know all these tight places existed in my body until I brought my new friend home!
Doc said I should not do a 9 mile run as scheduled this week. In my gut, I already knew that. But still...Sigh. I can try 5 this weekend and see how it goes. If I'm in okay (=no worse) shape after that and maintaining 3-4 mile weekday runs, I can try 7-8 the following weekend. In other words, I'm likely not going to make it beyond 10 miles in training. If I make it to 10, I'll be lucky, with only 4 weekends until race day. Some training plans don't take you beyond 10 miles, with the assumption that the adrenaline of race day will carry you the 3.1 extra miles beyond that. Hmmm, I'll let you know.
Bottom line, I have to adjust my expectations. It sucks. For a long time, I had the typical first half-marathon "I just want to FINISH" mindset. Because, seriously, even walking 13.1 miles is a little crazy and a super cool accomplishment! I was satisfied with "I just want to FINISH". Until I started training. And seeing firsthand what I was really capable of. Before training, I thought I might have to take a step back from running the whole thing, to run/walk intervals (Galloway style). But I discovered I was capable of running it all. I'm not fast by any means, but I also discovered I could sustain a faster pace for way longer than I thought. 8 miles worth so far! So, finishing in under 2.5 hours became a reality.
That reality might be gone. If I'm lucky, I'll finish. I really can't have any expectations at this point. And that is hard. For this little old girl who never really thought of herself as driven when it came to exercise, evidently I do have a driven bone in my body. It is insanely frustrating, for sure, as I watch my training friends pass me on mileage. And knowing that I am capable of so much more than I will likely get to put into this race. But alas, it's life. And life's not always like we want it.
Because I truly believe that a life of gratitude is the secret to joy, I'm going to take a shot at a short list of thankfulness. Trust me, this is more for me, than it is for you!
1. I have no major injuries
2. I am likely healable with at home strengthening/stretching, ibuprofen and ice.
3. Sports med doc was super awesome. And optimistic.
4. I have been regularly maintaining 3-4 mile runs without worsening.
5. Today I ran 3 with NO knee soreness! First time in almost 2 weeks.
6. The foam roll! Serious hurt, but serious awesome.
7. I have such fun running girlfriends, encouraging and praying for me.
8. How far I've come. 104 miles run since January 1!
9. Supportive husband who deals with the chicklets while I get my weekend long run on.
10. My faith. Always my faith. Jesus, for sure.
There, I feel better already! (smile)
4 weekends and counting...
Dawn
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