Wednesday, April 6, 2011

45 days until race day: Injury

Day 12 of training, 45 days to go.

I was kidding myself if I really thought I would stay motivated until race day. Let's just be honest, I am miserable. Sore, cold to the bone, shin-splinnting miserable. Last Friday I went on a nine mile run - nine miles! - but that was the peak. I took the weekend off (as a reward?) and traveled three hours to visit breweries and bar hop, leaving a trail of motivation behind each pint glass. Bad choice.

Monday was a day of misery. A northern wind whipped through the city with sudden gusts and bouts of rain. I was torn between knowing I should train, and a feeling of dread emerging out of the storm clouds. The black clouds hung like a devil on my shoulder, whispering to me, "No, you don't want to run, why would you want to run in this rain?" But my bright white, pretty shoes were singing, "Frolic! Let's run a marathon!" Who knew that training for a race would be a dichotomous battle between good and evil?

So I ran, but I regretted it. I have no shame in saying the devil won that battle. I had to cut it short because of severe shin splints and shooting pain in my legs. I hobbled home, knowing I was defeated.

Tuesday was even worse. I told myself, quit being a baby and get running! I had such a great run on Friday, only four days earlier, so maybe the pain was mental. Woah - was I wrong. Each step sent pain shooting through my bones and into my back. My feet were going numb. I had to grit my teeth to stop my eyes from watering. I started limping at 2.5 miles and had three miles until home. It was 30 degrees outside and the wind whipped my bare legs and arms. Shivering, cursing this stupid goal, I limped three miles home with the cold rain hitting my skin and my shins screaming at me. 

Success? Hardly. I would love to say that I am learning how to run in miserable conditions, and learning how to push through when I'm tired, but that is far from the truth. I am in so much pain that I can't even run. So what am I learning here? I'm learning to keep the fridge stocked with beer and make sure the peas and carrots are frozen when I get home so I can ice my legs. This week I am going to switch to biking and the elliptical (yuck) and, hopefully, let my shins heal. This whole running thing is new to me so I'm not sure exactly what I am supposed to do. I am open to suggestions of any kind.

45 days to go...will I ever make it?

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