Running by the wayside

Time. It passes fast. Here I am over four months later. I've got another race coming up this weekend, my first since the Battleship 5k in November. This one is the 2012 Quntiles Wrightsville Beach HALF Marathon. Right about this time exactly one year ago, my foot was giving me a helluva time. I had signed up and trained extensively for the 2011 Quintiles FULL Marathon. I ended up not doing it, of course, with the idea that what was then a stress fracture would have become a full-blown acute fracture during the race. I'm glad I held off.

And admittedly, I haven't really been running much since. Not much at all. I have been doing the gym thing, though, cross-training, exercise-biking, treadmilling it up.

This race is sort of up in the air, though. I'm not sure how quickly I can make it across that finish line. I haven't run further than about 7 miles since the injury last year. I did go for a little tempo run last night, and I was able to squeak out 4 miles in 26:30. That would be a pretty sweet half marathon pace, but I don't think I can keep up the intensity for 13.1 miles.

We'll see how it goes, though. Here's to hoping!

It's time. It is time.

I've signed up for the Port Land Grille Battleship 5k, November 6th. It's been about 8 months since my last race, and I'm definitely in better shape this time around. I wouldn't say that I'm in better running shape, but I do feel more healthy overall. I'm anticipating a 21:00 finish, but it would be nice to come in sooner. Of course.

Autumn running is the bestest

Gotta love getting out there around fall time. The temperature's just right, there's some nice smells in the air, and there are road races abound. I've got my eye on a 5K this Friday. There's another one on 11/6, and yet another on 11/12. Something tells me that it's about time for a time trial.

Back into it

We visited the fam in Salt Lake City last week, and I had set aside approximately zero minutes during the trip for running. I'm feeling it this week, too, now that I'm back to hitting the gym. Just did 20 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes running. Weak, I know. The weather's getting nice out there, and I'm thinking of switching my workouts up, maybe catching a couple of those "local runs" I keep yammering on about.

The bum foot hasn't really been giving me problems, but I haven't run more than five miles on it since the injury. Naturally, I'm hesitant to build up to any long distances. But...we'll see how the next couple of months go.

While you were away...

Over the last few months, I've had to take it easy with my running. For the longest time, I could hardly walk on my right foot. That made me stick to either swimming, lifting weights, or jumping on the stationary bikes at the gym. I still haven't really made it outside to run since my injury, just once in June and that went okay. Just okay. The next day, my foot wasn't all that happy.

So I'm still not in 100% running shape. One thing's for sure, though. I'm getting fiiiiit. All of this cross-training is making me look like Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia. Sort of. If you squint, with your glasses off.

I've got sights on some short, local races to test my mettle (and the bum foot). Let us not forget, there is hope.

Decisions

Each day is filled with its own decisions. Some are great. Some lead to even more decisions, more opportunities, and more experiences. Some are trivial. Some are mundane. Some are easy. Some are difficult.

Yesterday, I had to make a difficult, difficult decision. And, over the past week, I had been playing through this decision in my head. What would it mean if I followed this path (or rather, didn't follow this path)? What would I be losing from this decision, and what would I be gaining? How would this decision, either way, effect me now and down the road?

The pain in my right foot, the one that flared-up just 10 days ago, stayed with me in my final week of tapering. This was the final week of 18. Eighteen weeks of training and dedication. More than four (4) months of preparation and anticipation. All leading to this, the final week of my taper - a week during which one small bone in my right foot would rise up and say, "howdy, partner."

I'd rested this thing, stretched it, taken water and ibuprofen. And still, the pain would not subside when I ran. A sore muscle would have healed by now, a pulled ligament would be hurting constantly. This only hurt when I ran, and it felt like I was stepping on a rock in my shoe. My runs lately have started out with a moderate pain, mild pain in the middle, and severe pain in the end. What we had here, my friends, was a stress fracture.

Yesterday, I went for a 2-mile diagnostic run around the park. And just one mile into it, I could tell, that this marathon was not happening. The foot didn't hurt much, but just enough to let me know that it would be stopping me dead in my tracks around mile 8 of the next day's race. There would be no use in running through this one; I'd just be making things worse. So I made the decision that no runner ever wants to make, and just ONE DAY before the marathon I'd set my sights on 18 weeks ago. I was bowing out.

So here I am today. My foot's still a bit sore to even walk on. I can feel my right third metatarsal just daring me to step on it the wrong way. It is unfortunate that I missed this race, but I'm glad I decided not to run. And, though I won't run again for a while, I'm looking forward to the day when I can. I've got 55 days of rest left, and counting. I figure 8 weeks will give my foot time enough to heal.

In the meantime, I'm going to be swimming and exercising in ways that won't bear a lot of weight on that foot. After eight weeks of healing, I will then have plenty of time to train for...a Fall marathon of my choosing. Then, I'll be back, and better than ever.

My right foot

Excellent. Just...excellent.

10 days before my race, I started feeling...this. A dull, bruise-type pain in my right foot. Doesn't hurt all the time, just when I RUN ON IT. I have modified my gait to consciously avoid the natural pronation of my right foot, and that seems to quiet down the pain, pain, pain of landing. I even went out and bought new running kicks to see if the shoes I was wearing were the culprit. But no, the pain persists. Seems like some type of overuse injury in the making. And running 26.2 miles, at or near Boston-Qualifying pace this Sunday is sure to make it worse.

I'm trying to rest it and just see how it goes. The devil on my shoulder is whispering "stressssss fracturrrrre," in my ear. And I don't want to hear that. Not after four months of training, and NOT four DAYS before the race.

Oh, taper, how I despise thee.

Here's to hoping. Hoping that the pain will disappear, or at least subside long enough for me to finish this marathon in a respectable time. Hope hope hope.