My 2nd marathon was supposed to have been this past Saturday, but instead of celebrating the conclusion of a 20 week training cycle with a race, I “celebrated” the end of those 20 weeks with another doctor’s appointment yesterday morning. My 6th (with the orthopedist–this does not include the annual visits to the gynocologist, the dermatologist, the flu shot clinic, or my personal favorite, the mammogram). Not that I am counting.
The verdict: I’m good. Or at least the stress fracture site is “out of danger” though it will still continue to heal for several months. I’ll likely be in various degrees of discomfort as I continue to build back my mileage, but the doctor said that’s pretty typical and not something I should freak out about as long as it’s discomfort and not sharp or severe pain. I’ve gotten pretty good at telling the difference of late. The bunion is just something that I’m going to have to manage as best I can until I can’t any more (hello, YogaToes!). But I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. The x-ray showed good bone regeneration, etc. The best news of the day: the April marathon is still on the table.
In other words, Paris: I’m (still) coming for you.
BUT
My goals for Paris are this:
Make it to the starting line healthy.
Finish healthy.
I am not going for a specific time beyond the 5:40 cut-off. My speed will come back when it comes back (or it won’t, I suppose), but this training cycle is all about building the miles with as much common sense and body awareness as I can muster. I’ve been running (or run/walking) for 5 weeks now, and I’m up to a 5K. I have many miles to go before I sleep, this I know, and some of them will be on an elliptical or in the pool. That’s okay. I am really happy to have the ability to try. This one is not about speed or a BQ. It’s about appreciating the effort and the journey and doing my best to celebrate every single step whether I run, walk, or crawl. (Is it still a step if it’s crawled? Hmm). I’ll stop before this turns into a Hallmark card or motivational poster.
I won’t be leaving the pool behind, at least not entirely. I have gained an appreciation for that solid black line over the last several weeks. All in all, I spent 100 hours in the pool since mid-August. Some of it swimming laps, some of it aqua jogging, which never did get very exciting even with the savior that is my waterproof iPod. I also developed a full-on addiction to audiobooks, which I may or may not carry into the running as I progress.
So that’s where I am. It’s been a very difficult fall, and I am really glad to finish it out and start a new chapter. Thank you all for the support and the patience along the way.
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