As a new race season is starting, I can’t help but look back
over last season, and how I ended up where I am now… recovering from yet
another running injury! Last fall I
started off the race season with a sub 2 half marathon. And continued my training, including cross
training, and finished the season with two more sub 2 half’s -- 1:47, and 1:48,
respectively. It was a great season, and
I pushed my body and mind further than I ever have before. With my last race in March I felt that
silent, nagging start of pain. Not a
sore pain either… the kind that makes me say “ugh!”
After the Sarasota half in March I said I would take two
weeks to a month off, like I usually say after a race. My friends laughed. They know me.
I can’t “not run” for more than a few days, a week tops. They were
right… I lasted about 7 days then had to get back out there. While I was starting to plan what races
sounded good for the fall I hadn’t officially started a training plan yet. I figured I’d give myself a little bit more
time. But with each run there was this
constant nagging in my foot that wouldn’t give up. At this point, I figured it was time to
really take a break a break from running.
Really. So my focus for late May
and June become Beachbody’s Insanity Program… my first love!
However, my right toe and ball of my foot wouldn’t have it.
Finally in the middle of June I went to see the doc. Sesmoiditis and capsulitis… lots of
inflammation going on in there… the only way to heal is complete rest for 4+
weeks. Wow. I was forced to stop running. This was the first time in nearly two years
that I couldn’t run.
In my down time I really started to question my running. Running had become so monotonous for me, and I accomplished some big goals. There really wasn't much driving me, other than the social aspect. I needed something else to feel fulfilled. Sure it felt good to rest. But my body yearned for the endorphin rush, the sweat, and the addiction of what running brought to my mind. I missed running on so many levels!
In July I slowly started to run again. I ran a mile. It felt so good, yet hurt at the same time. Hurt in ways not necessarily physical. My ego was crushed as I was no longer the runner I once was, who could run a 9 minute mile easily. And my friends… I missed running the distance with them. They continued to train and run longer and longer, and here I was running “just 3 miles”. I felt defeated. Now I had to focus on the mental side. I had to pick myself back up and get out there. Pushing. Knowing it will get easier. And where were those endorphins I was used too? I was chasing them the best I could in the only way I know how… running and intense exercise, but they didn’t come easily.
Then I met Dr. David Adamson, a chiropractor who has a knack in orthopedics. Who knew feet could be
adjusted??? It has taken some time, and
his adjustments have really made a difference; not just in my feet and ankles,
but in how I feel overall. His treatment
plan for me was working, and on more than just my feet. The mental side of running/not running started to lighten. My whole body felt open, and better than it had in a long time. (Be sure to "like" his Facebook Page).
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| After a 7.5 mile run in September. My longest run since May! |
As I continue to run and push myself things are different this time. I know it is going to take me some time to get back to as “easy 9 minute mile” – mental and physical challenges. But I’m also not sure I want to push my body as hard as I did in the past… I have grown and changed so much this summer.
As I look to a new race season there are new challenges ahead… mental and physical. What will racing look like for me after this injury? Will it happen again? Can I really make it running a 200 mile relay – some of which I will be alone in the dark in the middle of nowhere as part of a RAGNAR relay team? I really don’t know. But what I do know is I am a runner. I will always be a runner. And there is nothing that can replace the high I get from running. I am going to run again... and run hard, and fast! I just have to keep working hard, physically and mentally, to get there.
