Sunday, March 24, 2013

No More Drama!

Ok....with apologies to Miss Mary J. Blige.........but that's the way I feel right now!

This has truly been the winter of my discontent..........a year ago, I was focused and determined, with the Boston Marathon looming just a few weeks ahead.  Following a winter nearly devoid of snow, my training was rolling right along.  I was healthy....and excited to complete the journey ahead of me.  The joint focus of getting my mileage in AND raising the required amount of money for my charity....well, that's how this blog got started in the first place!  Needless to say, that ridiculously hot April morning was the adventure of a lifetime, and I still get choked up when I remember the feeling of making that final turn off of Hereford Street onto Boylston Street and seeing that famous finishing straight spread out before me.

Now it's a year later and it seems as if none of that ever happened.

First off,  this has been an epically (is that even a word?  I don't know...nor care!  LOL) crappy winter.....snow storm after snow storm......yuck!  Last winter....well, last winter WASN'T.....only one measurable snow storm, and that was very early on.  I'm a warm weather creature, so it allowed me to easily train for Boston without having to resort to the dreadmill.

A year ago, I was soooooooooo focused.  My training was going great, and I had the secondary focus of raising all the necessary funds for my charity.  Those concurrent efforts led directly to this blog, also giving me A LOT of source material to use for posting.  This winter, I'm injured, off my training program for my upcoming marathon, and finding it REALLY difficult to write.  Blech!

I went to my podiatrist last Monday......he's a runner himself, so he understands that "just don't run on it anymore" is NOT AN OPTION for how to deal with my heel pain.  After examining my foot, he determined it to be a touch of bursitis.  He taped up my foot with a couple of pads in different areas and told me I could get right back to running again, but I couldn't get the tape wet until I came back to see him in a week (which is now tomorrow afternoon).  That meant that I couldn't realistically shower all week.......how fun was it to take a bath, all while keeping that foot out of the tub?  It SUCKED!!!!   But I managed.  I still didn't really run all week....longest run was 6 miles this afternoon.......but I was able to run without pain, so perhaps it's getting better.  I am definitely looking forward to going to see him again to work up a treatment plan for the future, as I know he's going to help me address the underlying issues that caused the injury in the first place.

That said, I've got my next marathon coming up on May 26th.  Is it realistic for me to even consider the possibility of shooting for another PR when I've lost the last 3 weeks of training?  There's no doubt that I can finish another marathon......I know what it takes to get there, but I don't want to just finish.....so maybe this is a blessing in disguise?   Maybe I'll hit the starting line undertrained and fresh, relaxed, and with NO REAL EXPECTATIONS.

Ok.......now I feel better!  LOL

I'm going to go to bed hopeful tonight......hopeful that I'll be able to get back on track with my training, get my shit together over the next 2 months, and have another great marathon experience.

At the very least, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have some more to blog about over the next few weeks.....starting tomorrow afternoon!

Rock on, readers......the Diesel will be back out there chasing his dreams......slowly......but steadily!

See you all out there down the road.......

14 comments:

  1. take it easy, and listen to your body. I understand its so hard when we are told not to run, heck this is why I don't go to the doctor for basically well, anything. You'll get there, just take it one day at a time!

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  2. Glad to hear that your doc seems to have a handle on ways to both treat your heel pain and keep you running

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  3. So hard to train in that bad weather...bletch.

    But gotta take care of the feet! Let the Dr figure out what's up there and get you better.

    I would just enjoy the marathon..how many people can run a marathon at will? You can 8)
    Plenty of time for PRs.

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  4. OMG...I just had a bath with my foot in a brace! Haha. I totally know how you feel. Two days ago I had a Tenex procedure on my heel to remove some scar tissue. I get to bathe like that for 2-3 weeks. But hey, I feel your resolve and I'm hoping to come back strong too!! Good luck!

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  5. I'm so sorry to hear that you have had such a difficult training cycle! I hope you get well soon! I think you will still do great in the marathon, and you will get to see a beautiful city along the way.

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  6. Just FYI, you can get waterproof casts to go around your foot so you can bathe/shower without having to stick your foot out. My husband just had foot surgery and that's what they gave him. It's like a plastic bag for your foot with a rubber fitted opening that fits around your lower leg. Hope you recover from this quickly!

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  7. You still have a couple of months. Hang in there. ;-)

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  8. Marathon is two months away. You still have time to get some decent miles in. You will rock Vermont, I know it!! Keep your head up and your feet moving. You got this Bill!!!

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  9. I hear ya 'bout the weather Bill. It's way past the point of being "not fun" to go out in the cold. It can't stay crummy out forever, can it?

    Sorry about your ailments. Try not to over do it while still doin' it! :)

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  10. When you're plagued with an injury, it's hard to focus and keep going. You get up, put your gear on, eat, potty, and run, even through the pain. You put in the hours and the miles, so why would you think it would be a simple as shaking it off? Hehehe, runners are forever runners and not quiters. Even under the knife, their saying "when can I run again?". You know the answer. Get healthy and you'll get stronger.

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  11. Seriously, if our winter was anything like yours, i would have quit by now, so kudos to you! I hope your feet let up soon and allow you to get some solid miles in. You're an old pro at this point, so you can go far with minimal training!

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  12. Sorry about all that. You will be out in it in no time flat. Can't wait to read all of those stories SOOON. Take care.

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  13. sorry about the half marathon you have to skip... but stay healthy!! It's crazy to me that you have bursitis because that's what I had in my knee and I hadn't even heard of it before two weeks ago. Go figure.

    Anyway, the first race back after an injury should be about enjoying running again. Who cares about PRs? You can RUN!!

    Keep it up, Bill!

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