Day One Hundred Forty-Six: Back From The Dead
What can I say?
This past month has sucked. I've touched on it all before, but I guess I'll just make sure to catch everyone up by saying that right after Thanksgiving I hurt myself. It's a pretty common injury for new runners who's bodies aren't used to the strain of the kind of training we have been doing. Basically there is a tendon that runs down the outside of your leg from the hip to the ankle and mine became too tight which was causing a lot of pain in my left knee when I ran. I don't know if I'm a big baby or what, but holy crap it really really hurt. I tried to rest it (along with the recommended icing and stretching) and none of that seemed to be working. So finally in late December I started seeing an accupuncturist.
This past Tuesday I ran 10 miles on the treadmill which was the longest I had run since December 2 when I kicked out 12 in the park before I had to stop because of my knee. The great news is that my IT band didn't act up at all and I was able to finish the run. The not so great news is that 10 miles was really really tough on me and I feel like the 5 weeks that I have been hurt has done some serious damage to my training (obviously). This week I had been giving some serious thought to transferring my the funds I have raised to a Spring event and starting the whole process over in February and running the San Diego Marathon instead of Phoenix. Trust me, it's really the last thing I wanted to do - second to last thing actually because the LAST thing I want to do is go to Phoenix and not finish because of an injury. I won't really be able to deal with that.
Last night we had our Send Off meeting where we got together with the rest of the team and got some final instructions about tapering as well as going over our schedule once we get to Phoenix. I spoke with Ramon before the meeting to voice my concerns about my injury and my conditioning. He told me that if I can run 10 miles I can run a marathon and that he thinks I should come to Phoenix. He said that the last 6 miles are going to be hard for everyone and that as long as I am very cautious with my pacing I should have no problem. I don't know how much of that was real and how much of it was motivational coaching, but you know what? Fuck it, I'm going to Phoenix. This is the run that I have been training for and this is the run that I have been begging people to donate for and this is the run that I want to finish. I have absolutely no idea how it's going to go down. I don't know if the route is going to be flat enough to not bother my knee (both up and down slopes really make it sing). I don't know if I'm going to have the wind to finish and even if I have the wind, injury or no I don't know that my body is really ready at this point. I don't know if I'm going to have to walk a few miles and if that is the case how I'll respond to that mentally.
I just don't know. Which is pretty freakin scary. But fuck it, I'm going to Phoenix. I mean, everyone is nervous for their first marathon I suppose, but not having trained for the past 5 weeks just adds too many questions and I'm not so good with questions that I can't answer. I asked Ramon last night if I should try to squeeze in a long run and he said absolutely not. I asked if I should try to run on some hills to see how my knee responds and he said absolutely not. If it didn't go well, what do I do then? Basically he said there is nothing I can do at this point that is going to prepare me any better for the marathon except to taper and take care of myself. So I've got to just let all these questions I have go unanswered until I actually get out there on the course in Phoenix and then I'll find out if I can actually run a marathon or not.
Yeah, I'm terrified.
But fuck it, I'm going to Phoenix.
There's this song that's been in my head the past couple of days called "My Poor Brain" by the Foo Fighters - one line especially. At one point Dave Grohl sings "Sometimes I feel I'm gettin stuck between the handshake and the fuck." That's sort of where I have been the past few weeks which is why it's been really difficult for me to continue with this blog not knowing if I was going to be able to come through and finish this amazing thing that I've started. The most frustrating thing about my situation was that it wasn't due to a lack of will or dedication on my part but simply because my body wasn't working the way I needed it to work. I didn't (and honestly I still don't) know if I'm going to be able to do what I set out to do on that first morning of practice way back in August almost 300 miles and over $4500.00 dollars ago.
But you know what?
Yeah, you know.
See you in Phoenix.
Here's a wrap up of what has passed for training recently:
There were a couple of aborted runs that were honestly less than 2 miles before I had to turn back and walk home. I'll leave those days out because honestly, I don't even really remember when they were and never bothered to track my mileage. I've also done a day or two of cross training every week to try and keep myself somewhat in shape (tell that to the 5 pounds I have put on).
DAY 133
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 6.26
TOTAL MILEAGE: 275.76
DAY 135
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 5.61
TOTAL MILEAGE: 281.37
DAY 144
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 10
TOTAL MILEAGE: 291.37
Updates to follow on my fundraising progress and what accupuncture feels like (I'll give you a hint: it feels like someone sticking needles in you).
Sorry I've been gone so long. Hope you stuck with me.
BD
This past month has sucked. I've touched on it all before, but I guess I'll just make sure to catch everyone up by saying that right after Thanksgiving I hurt myself. It's a pretty common injury for new runners who's bodies aren't used to the strain of the kind of training we have been doing. Basically there is a tendon that runs down the outside of your leg from the hip to the ankle and mine became too tight which was causing a lot of pain in my left knee when I ran. I don't know if I'm a big baby or what, but holy crap it really really hurt. I tried to rest it (along with the recommended icing and stretching) and none of that seemed to be working. So finally in late December I started seeing an accupuncturist.
This past Tuesday I ran 10 miles on the treadmill which was the longest I had run since December 2 when I kicked out 12 in the park before I had to stop because of my knee. The great news is that my IT band didn't act up at all and I was able to finish the run. The not so great news is that 10 miles was really really tough on me and I feel like the 5 weeks that I have been hurt has done some serious damage to my training (obviously). This week I had been giving some serious thought to transferring my the funds I have raised to a Spring event and starting the whole process over in February and running the San Diego Marathon instead of Phoenix. Trust me, it's really the last thing I wanted to do - second to last thing actually because the LAST thing I want to do is go to Phoenix and not finish because of an injury. I won't really be able to deal with that.
Last night we had our Send Off meeting where we got together with the rest of the team and got some final instructions about tapering as well as going over our schedule once we get to Phoenix. I spoke with Ramon before the meeting to voice my concerns about my injury and my conditioning. He told me that if I can run 10 miles I can run a marathon and that he thinks I should come to Phoenix. He said that the last 6 miles are going to be hard for everyone and that as long as I am very cautious with my pacing I should have no problem. I don't know how much of that was real and how much of it was motivational coaching, but you know what? Fuck it, I'm going to Phoenix. This is the run that I have been training for and this is the run that I have been begging people to donate for and this is the run that I want to finish. I have absolutely no idea how it's going to go down. I don't know if the route is going to be flat enough to not bother my knee (both up and down slopes really make it sing). I don't know if I'm going to have the wind to finish and even if I have the wind, injury or no I don't know that my body is really ready at this point. I don't know if I'm going to have to walk a few miles and if that is the case how I'll respond to that mentally.
I just don't know. Which is pretty freakin scary. But fuck it, I'm going to Phoenix. I mean, everyone is nervous for their first marathon I suppose, but not having trained for the past 5 weeks just adds too many questions and I'm not so good with questions that I can't answer. I asked Ramon last night if I should try to squeeze in a long run and he said absolutely not. I asked if I should try to run on some hills to see how my knee responds and he said absolutely not. If it didn't go well, what do I do then? Basically he said there is nothing I can do at this point that is going to prepare me any better for the marathon except to taper and take care of myself. So I've got to just let all these questions I have go unanswered until I actually get out there on the course in Phoenix and then I'll find out if I can actually run a marathon or not.
Yeah, I'm terrified.
But fuck it, I'm going to Phoenix.
There's this song that's been in my head the past couple of days called "My Poor Brain" by the Foo Fighters - one line especially. At one point Dave Grohl sings "Sometimes I feel I'm gettin stuck between the handshake and the fuck." That's sort of where I have been the past few weeks which is why it's been really difficult for me to continue with this blog not knowing if I was going to be able to come through and finish this amazing thing that I've started. The most frustrating thing about my situation was that it wasn't due to a lack of will or dedication on my part but simply because my body wasn't working the way I needed it to work. I didn't (and honestly I still don't) know if I'm going to be able to do what I set out to do on that first morning of practice way back in August almost 300 miles and over $4500.00 dollars ago.
But you know what?
Yeah, you know.
See you in Phoenix.
Here's a wrap up of what has passed for training recently:
There were a couple of aborted runs that were honestly less than 2 miles before I had to turn back and walk home. I'll leave those days out because honestly, I don't even really remember when they were and never bothered to track my mileage. I've also done a day or two of cross training every week to try and keep myself somewhat in shape (tell that to the 5 pounds I have put on).
DAY 133
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 6.26
TOTAL MILEAGE: 275.76
DAY 135
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 5.61
TOTAL MILEAGE: 281.37
DAY 144
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 10
TOTAL MILEAGE: 291.37
Updates to follow on my fundraising progress and what accupuncture feels like (I'll give you a hint: it feels like someone sticking needles in you).
Sorry I've been gone so long. Hope you stuck with me.
BD
posted by Demps at 8:09 AM
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