I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the support and words of encouragement I received regarding last weeks post. It was a tough decision to make and the more I think about it and the more stories and comments I received and read about all of you making that same tough decision (to listen to your body), I realize that it was the best decision I could have made. So again, thank you for all the stories and encouragement, it really means a lot to me.
That being said, my view has changed drastically since last week. I am no longer setting my sights on a big goal that, at times, seemed insurmountable. But rather now I am working on facing a familiar adversary, the half marathon. The distance that I love to hate and hate to love, so much pleasure (finishing) and so much pain (during). (That sounded dirty, btw. He he...) Anyway.
After last weeks post I felt the need to pull everything in and "hide" what I'm going through, put on the happy face and post about seemingly benign things. Then the more I thought about it this weekend the more I realized that line of thinking is completely opposite of why I created this blog to begin with. I came here to write about my trials and tribulations, successes and jubilations (and my apparent need to rhyme at times, HA! Did it again.) To keep the process secret and not be honest about what I'm going through by only talking about good things would be silly of me to do. I have prided myself on being honest here and talking about things I'm experiencing, no matter how stupid or embarrassing it might be.
So, let's talk about what happened this weekend. I hadn't run since the Disneyland weekend, mind you, so I was a bit anxious to get out and get some mileage under my belt. Not only that, but I was feeling down about my admission last week, so I had some stress to burn off during my run. So when my friend asked if I wanted to run with her and a group of ladies on Saturday, I jumped at the chance. However I should have been smart about it because after the run on Saturday morning I was essentially crippled by my plantar fasciitis for the rest of
that day and all day on Sunday.
It was the perfect storm of issues that put me in so much pain. 1) the distance was too long, I went on a 5 mile run, too much too fast and it torched my heels almost immediately; 2) We were supposed to do intervals, 4/1, well our interval keeper wasn't paying attention and we didn't do intervals until after two miles of running; and 3) the pace they were running at was faster than what I normally run. So with all three of those combined, it created a pissed off body and my PF made me pay for it. I mean the pain was so bad that I was hugging the walls to keep upright on my way to the baby's room to take care of him that night because I couldn't put ANY weight on my left heel. So. Stupid of me. Again, lesson learned.
I went to my PT yesterday and she told me that I have to scale WAY back down. We need to get me running pain free before we ramp up the mileage. My complete mileage per run this week? One mile. Yup, one mile runs. And I use the term "runs" loosely. I've been cleared to do one run (on Wednesday) and for only one mile using intervals. Oh boy...I think I might go crazy. A one mile run will be so quick, it will be over before I really get into a rhythm.
That's not all. My one run that I'm cleared for is only with the use of the Alter G machine. Yeah, you read that right, I am only allowed to run a mile and only on an Alter G machine. I've never run on one before, but I hear it is really fabulous for people recovering from injuries and the use of this machine is free with my appointments. Yay for free! She also wanted to look at my training schedule and make adjustments to it based on what I can and can't do physically to get me to the race in good shape. This will not be a PRing race by any means, it will more than likely be a test of this distance for me. Just to run, just to complete this distance, and hoping to be as pain free as possible.
So, here we go. I am starting all over again. I, essentially, am a beginner runner again. I am working with my PT about proper form and how to recruit the correct muscles to help me run effectively and efficiently. Apparently I don't use the muscles I should be and I'm overusing the other ones, creating strain and pain during and after I run any distance. So this will be my struggle and what I will talk about in addition to any racing and training information I have. Welcome to the ride!
This is just a little hiccup in the road. As runners, we are prone to injuries and ailments, particularly PF. It's frustrating, and it's downright discouraging at times, but just listen to those coaches and therapists, and as you said - listen to your body! You'll get back to where you were. It might take awhile, but have faith. You didn't get up to that mileage overnight, and you sure won't get back there that quickly, either. There's absolutely NO reason to be embarrassed about it. Things happen. I always applaud anyone making an effort. The ones who should feel bad are the ones who are sitting on the couch, expecting change! Keep doing what you're doing, a little at a time. I'm proud of ya.
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