About that Half....

So it seemed that I no sooner than pushed the "publish" button on that post about the half marathon panic and running the 5K when I developed my first running injury.

In the 19 degree weather of the run, I did notice my left ankle felt tight. Quite the over-achiever, I then went on to a one hour Zumba event that afternoon, and jumped around like a maniac on it. Resting Sunday didn't help much, and by Monday morning I could hardly get up the three flights of stairs into my office. One trip to the orthopedic doctor's office later, I learned I had a bad case of tendonitis. Prescription strength anti-inflamatories in hand, I pondered his advice on the drive home.

The orthopedic doctor told me it's mainly from repetitive use, like running. The best way to get rid of it is to rest a couple weeks then ease back into the activity. I have four weeks of training left, the longest of the long runs still ahead of me. Taking two weeks off running, then "easing back" into it most certainly meant no half marathon. When I specifically expressed that concern to the doctor, he just eyed me suspiciously. He said, "Can you run on it? Yes. If your concern was a tear or a stress fracture, you're cleared. But tendonitis will still be uncomfortable, especially for 13 plus miles." I sure would hate to have trained these last eight weeks and quit with four left to go, and I told him as much. Half chuckling, he said "Yeah... Runners. Give it as much time as you are willing, then try it out. If you can live with it, then run. I will leave the half marathon decision up to you."

I realized his advice was my perfect opportunity to quit.

But I couldn't quit, because even with the panic about the half-marathon, wondering if I was adequately prepared, and feeling like I had jumped in over my head.... I still want to do it. I took three days off. I ran three miles the first day, and by weeks end, did my scheduled long run of 10 miles. Can I promise that I'm gonna cross the finish line? No. But I can guarantee that I was handed the chance to duck out and I didn't take it. That feels like a little bit of a win right there.

Besides, I think he knew I was going to run anyway. He told me I needed two weeks worth of the prescription, but then eyeballing me as he wrote it out, he gave me a full 4 week supply. Just enough to get me to race day.