Yep, I'm pretty much posting this for myself. I'm sure many of you may also apply this to yourself. You can apply this in more than one way. Either you are facing that wall of what you know you need to do and don't want to. Or, like me, you are facing injury and you just want to lay down like a 2 year old and throw a fit.
Now, I realize that I have been injured more less for a few months now. I also realize that I have subjected you guys more than once to my breakdowns of whining, crying, complaining and out right pity parties that I have thrown myself. Only because of my
Now that I am past my marathon I'm at a turning point. Do I continue to run very minimally to keep the injury at bay, but not really deal with said injury? Or do I stop, properly deal with this and come back better & stronger.
Part of me wants to keep running. You know how much I live and breath running. It has already been one week without a run and I feel like it's been an eternity. I have been cross training. Lots of biking, swimming and weight lifting. Not to mention a little scale back to recover from the marathon. Now I'm ready to go again. The warming temperatures are not helping at all. Every time I walk out the door in the morning I feel that urge within me to just run. Warmer temps also bring out even more runners and I zone in on them everywhere I go. Yes, I have been known to have a melt down in the van while seeing someone running. I'm happy for them, yes I am, but could they just keep their running to 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. while I am in bed & can't see them. Come on people...think of us poor pitiful injured people. Quit being SO selfish.
Ok, all irrationality aside, the flip side of this all makes me stop and think about what I am really doing. Is it going to do me any good to not properly treat my foot and continue to barely keep going with poor to little training. I know the answer is no, especially if I want to actually achieve my goal of 100 miles in 24 hours. I also just registered for my annual Howl at the Moon, 8 hour ultra run that is held every August. Even though I had planned to do my backyard 100 miler in June, it can wait for when ever I am ready. However time is ticking when it comes to August. This will be my third year for Howl at the Moon, I'm hoping to break 40 miles. I have to be serious about this if I really want to achieve that goal.
The answer is obvious, I have to sideline myself & take time off to proper deal with my foot. For now, the plan is to take the month of May off of running. That does not mean I will not workout. It will not mean a thing expect my lack of miles. I will likely become very frustrated, but I have decided that I WILL NOT WHINE! A few things have prompted this. I have a friend, who despite running massive miles and being in top notch shape, has suffered a slipped & herniated disk. Reading about her inability to barely even get out of bed is a reality check for me. Today while biking I was reading my latest issue of Runner's World, an article about Alison Delgado really made me appreciate not only the grand scheme of my injury, but also the great ability to fight and come back regardless of any injury (and hers was the grand daddy of them all, mine...not so much).
What is this great & mighty injury that has me sidelined? Good ole plantar fasciitis. I know....I know.....all you real runners might just hoff at the idea. Seriously...that's it? Well, for me, even if it's a hang nail, if it keeps me from running it's the end of the world. I have had pf before, but the symptoms were different and much more mild. It took next to nothing to treat and fix that bout. This time, it's much different. It's going to require a different plan of attack. Considering that I've either ignored or barely slapped a band aid on this problem for almost 3 months it's going to take more to get back to a good healthy running state. I'm in this for the long run...yeah, pun intended so that means I have to do this right. So if you hear me give any hint of whining, you may slap me and remind me of this:
What about you? Do you have something you need to quit whining about? Running? Life? What do you need to honestly and properly deal with to keep going down this path of life the right way?
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