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Marathon Madness: Taking a step back.

Well, I'm into week 4 of marathon training. Supposed to be doing a 10 mile run this week, actually! Guess how many miles I have mapped out in my training schedule this week?

Zero.

Awesome, right?!

No. It's not awesome, but I'm keeping a smile on my face and a positive attitude here.

Let me recap week 3.

At the end of week 2, I had my 9 mile run. Then I worked the weekend. Well, while at work that Saturday I felt a strange discomfort in my L great toe. So I took the rest of the weekend off. All weekend at work, I proceeded with caution. I decided to cross train and rest until I feel better. 

Monday -30 minutes spin bike, 20 minutes eliptical - 30 minutes shoulder workout. Barely any foot pain!
Tuesday - 40 minutes spin bike - 10 minutes elipitcal - 30 minutes back/bicep. No foot pain at all!
Wednesday - 5 mile run (easy pace 8:35/mile) - leg work out. New running shoes, no foot pain, I hit the ground running!
Thursday - 4 mile run with speed work (40 sec hard, 20 sec recovery) After my 12 hour shift on my feet, I had no pain. So went for a run! Felt great!
Friday - Rest Day - Another painless 12 hour shift on my feet! So happy I was healed!
Saturday - Chest/triceps. 20 minutes elliptical. 20 minutes running. (started feeling a slight twinge in my foot, but ignored it)
Sunday - 8 mile run. Felt great the entire run, until the last 0.5 miles. No pain, just didn't feel "right"

I headed to work Monday morning, and the pain had returned. In fact, I had tears welling up in my eyes as I triaged ambulance, after ambulance. I even found myself praying to God, "Please, let the patients stop coming so I can just get a 5 minute break to get off my feet."

Yeah, right. Manic Monday's in the ER provide zero respite. 

Now my left great toe hurts, and it kind of shoots up my entire foot. I will be seeing my podiatrist the Monday we get back to Tucson.


I'm very nervous that I will have yet another marathon that I'm signed up for, but cannot run. Last time it was due to work commitments, this time due to an injury.

But I'm going to take care of my body. Keep my legs strong by weight lighting. Keep my heart strong by biking, swimming, and rowing. And we shall see!

I have done a ton of research trying to find websites, articles, and blogs on "running a marathon after an injury" -- and I'm having a really hard time! So we will see how this goes.

A few rules I've made for myself going forward:
  • I will not curse at or be jealous and mad at my husband, when he goes out for a run. He's not injured, so he shouldn't fake a pity injury to make me feel better. I WILL be supportive of him. From my bike. 
  • When I do start feeling better, I will not push it. I WILL procede with caution and stay healthy.
  • I will be very mindful of my diet - making sure I'm getting adequate calcium, protein, and vitamin D to build strong bones and muscles. 
  • I will remember that life will go on if I don't run this marathon.

Comments

I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I hope your podiatrist has some answers for you. It is so frustrating to do all the right things and then have your body let you down like this. It's hard to not feel envious of others who are able to run when you aren't. I feel like everywhere I look, people are running. And then when people complain about running? That's especially hard for me (for the most part, I don't mind when some people complain).

Hang in there! I am glad you are finding ways to stay active despite your foot issues!
Marlys said…
Wow, you are handling this so well! And it sounds like you are keeping quite fit in spite of the injury, so that is good! I hope you get answers and will resume your training. My heart feels for you!
Amber said…
I'm so sorry your injured :( I was injured once and had to take 6 weeks off running and it was awful! But I definitely think just resting and letting an injury COMPLETELY heal is better than pushing and possibly making it worse. Hope you get better soon!

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