Last month, I ran the Chicago Marathon. But back in September, I also signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon.
Yes. I’m probably insane.
The reason? A group of my best girlfriends had also signed up for the Half, and my training partner – Sarah – had also decided on double-marathon-craziness, after having run the Baltimore Marathon just a week after I’d crossed the finish line in Chi-town.
Mer and Vic were also signed up for race weekend distances and I thought: “Well, I’ll already be trained and six weeks is plenty of time to recover… and Philadelphia is a great race.” So… I did.
Sarah and I planned out our training schedule in between the two big races and we both felt really confident that the intervals we’d been utilizing would serve us well in keeping our legs happy.
We knew that since we only had a few weeks in between, we didn’t need to do a super long run (super long is a relative term for marathoners). We decided that we’d hit 16 miles and then start tapering again.
With the race less than a week away at this point, I’d say I feel pretty good. Well, actually I’d say Sarah is probably feeling pretty good, because I won’t be running anymore.
Why, you ask?
Oh. Because of this.
So, I decided to play basketball last week (which I do, all the time), and went up for a lay-up. Came down… on someone’s foot. Result? One very sprained and sad ankle.
However, I did make the lay-up and my team won. That’s the important takeaway here.
Since it’s the fourth or fifth time I’ve sprained this sucker (years of basketball and volleyball, friends) my ligaments are apparently (according to a few docs) just hanging on. Hence the nasty bruising and lack of walking I’m doing currently. Hoping surgery isn’t in my future, but it is a definite possibility.
Mostly, I’m just super disappointed that five months of training just went down the drain. I do, however, get to wear this stylish accessory for the next three weeks:
So, that’s where we’re at this week. Trying to keep my chin up and not think about how much I’d rather be running. Or really doing anything that doesn’t involve this boot. I’m also trying to get my eating under control because my metabolism is a little confused. It still thinks I’m marathon training and therefore wants to eat all of the things. Not gonna happen, pal.
My mission now is to work on working out in ways that are no impact and trying to keep myself in a shape that isn’t a circle while I recover. Once I’m cleared, I’ll be hitting the pool and the stationary bike and the weight room. Until then my only bicep curls will involve lifting my coffee mug to my mouth.
As an athlete, learning to be accepting of injuries is necessary. They are going to happen and most of the time they aren’t anyone’s fault. But, the worst thing you can do is to not respect them. I’m guilty of this because I’m stubborn. I’m competitive and I hate hate HATE being taken out of the game. I have serious sports FOMO. I don’t like missing out on anything, especially when it’s something I’ve spent so much time preparing for.
I know, though, that if I don’t take care of this the way I’m supposed to, the result could be more detrimental in the long run. If I want to continue to be not only able to run in the future, but also continue playing the other sports that I love, I need to let my body heal and take the steps necessary to fix my brokenness.
Ugh. Sometimes, being a responsible grown up sucks. Big time.
So, this weekend, I’m still going to Philly. Only instead of running my butt off, I’ll be cheering my head off. Now, to come up with some clever sign ideas…
OUCH!!!!!! Good news, skinny jeans and leggings all the rage, perfect for your boot. Oh my that foot looks painful. You know, Arnicare found at walmart is great for bruising and inflamation. You are so smart to rest up and keep your training in some shape or form that will not hurt your injury when its time. I know its hard to not be able to get out there due to injury, but you gotta take care of you.
I’ll be rocking skinny jeans and leggings and tights for the next few weeks for sure.
The foot is painful, but yeah, definitely treating it right so I can make sure my comeback is without any hiccups. Thanks!!
Being a grown up so suuuucks sometimes! But, you know you need to heal so you can continue to be awesome for years and years to come. Chin up, chicka!
Being a grown up is the actual worst sometimes. So now I’m just going to focus my energies on getting better. xo
Yikes so sorry. After Chi Marathon I toyed with running Philly because I love the city (I’m from the area), it’s a great race ( I ran the half last year) but while I’m not injured with you, I’ve enjoyed relaxing and taking a mini break from lots of running! Get better soon!
Thanks, Lauren. Philly IS a great race, so obvs I’m super bummed not to be running it again, but taking a (hopefully) mini break from running will be a good thing. And high five for the Chi Marathon! Boom!
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