A tough, but necessary decision = heartbreak

After some very difficult soul searching, I reached a very tough decision this afternoon.  The pain I've been feeling in my right heel for several weeks hasn't gone away....if anything, it's gotten worse.  I've tried resting it.....taking several days off when my marathon training schedule has me running.  I've been using ice......stretching.....doing everything I can think of..........hoping it would get better.

But it hasn't.....

I'm supposed to run the New Bedford Half Marathon this coming Sunday morning, but I'm not going to be toeing the line.  In the interest of trying to make it to the line in Burlington, VT for the Keybank Vermont City Marathon over Memorial Day weekend, I'm going to skip New Bedford and completely shut down my running.  As soon as possible, I'm going to go to a podiatrist and have the medical profession take a look at whatever is going on with my right heel. 

I'm not going to lie.......this decision is breaking my heart.  It's not so much the DNS that bothers me, although the only other time I had a DNS was when I was late leaving the house for a race last summer, and this is clearly a physically-related DNS.  What bothers me so much is that I had to admit that I'm injured and need some medical attention.  Not so much that it implies weakness, but just that it wasn't something I felt I could just "tough out" and work through without potentially causing more serious injury.

And as long as I'm being honest, I might as well admit that I haven't been blogging about my running because 2013 hasn't been a lot of fun yet.  My running has been suffering due to this injury, and it's left me a bit dispirited.   I find it very difficult to blog when I just don't have anything positive or inspirational to say.

My hope is that the podiatrist will be able to quickly determine the problem and have a solution that will get me back out on the road very soon.  Naturally, the flip side of that is what I'm most afraid of.....that he'll come back and tell me that it's a more serious problem that will drastically curtail my running.  After talking it over with my wife, she helped me to realize and admit that knowing is better than not knowing, even if it's bad news.  Either way, I'll be able to move forward and get this thing dealt with.

Life has a funny way of jumbling your plans......and I'm now facing a roadblock.  I'm hopeful that it's only temporary, and that I'll be back out there soon enough.   If it isn't, I'll still move forward.  I may be slowed down, but you can't stop The Diesel.......and I've got an appointment with marathon #4!!!