3/7/2018 – The winter has not been kind to my running goals. After suffering a setback in December, I’ve been itching like crazy to get back on course with my training. Getting consistent mileage in LAST winter was monumental in preparing me for a successful spring, so I was really looking forward to repeating that process this year. I had a spring marathon penciled in for a long time, even booked a hotel room! But it just wasn’t meant to be given the injury.
Good News
After visiting the doctor last week, I’ve officially been cleared to increase running activity as tolerated. I’ve been running all easy mileage extremely gradually for the last few weeks. As expected, several little aches here and there have popped up as a result of being a walking boot for a period of time.
The Challenge
The challenge is that while my fracture is healed, it remains a gradual process to strengthen the bone as well as the little muscles around it. The doctor prescribed me to go by feel and be extremely attentive to my body. The result? Daily changes in how my foot is feeling. One morning it will be great, and I will plan ambitious goals for the next week. But the next morning, I’ll feel sharp pains and throw those ambitious goals out the window!
One day I’ll nail a speed workout and feel almost back to normal, but the next day I will wake up in pain sensing that I did too much. I used to think it was so black and white. Work. Rest. Work. Rest. If you get hurt, rest until you are better, and then work again! I would kill for something that simple right now. What I’m stuck in feels more like a constant tug of war with my body. A steady dose of “Should I work through this or back off?” and “Is this pain better or worse than yesterday?”.
Some of my workouts have indicated that maybe I’m within striking distance of running a quality half marathon this spring. It would be a far cry from where I thought I would be, but at least it wouldn’t be a waste of a season. I even sketched out a progressive 10 week plan that would give me a chance to get me to race day in good shape. The thought of seeing those gains won me over, and I barreled through 2 weeks of tempo efforts and increased mileage.
The result? A sore foot from the increased pounding of speed work. I fell into the trap. The trap of being overzealous. The trap of not being patient. Back to the drawing board, I went. While my paces were fine, I could sense that my aerobic base wasn’t where I wanted it to be before I started more serious training.
A Priority Shift
My college coach would always use the acronym WIN. What’s Important Now? What’s my biggest priority now and how can I build around it. My biggest priority is running my fastest marathon before the Boston Marathon cutoff date (sometime around September 9th). That has nothing to do with running a fast half marathon in the spring (though it would be nice!).
So I step back and ask the most important question in relation to my goal. How? How do I run my fastest September marathon? Well, first I have to get my mileage back to an increased and consistent level.
How do I do that? Running easy miles. Can I do that? Sure can! And there’s nothing I would like more too! Traditionally, I’ve always enjoyed running high mileage. I’ve been itching to get the mileage back up there for about two months now – which is usually a sign that you’re ready to get back at it.
Comfortable with Uncomfortable
This is how I would describe my mindset the last week. I’m trying to be comfortable knowing that I can’t plan out past the next week because I don’t know yet what my body will let me do. If my foot says the limit is 30 miles for another month, I will have to be okay with that. Sure, it’s uncomfortable territory for me. I love to plan out workouts MONTHS in advance and circle them on the calendar. Maybe there will still be a time for that, but I should let my body dictate that, not my ambition.
Now that I’ve re-prioritized and taken the foot off the gas, I know I’m giving myself a better shot at my marathon goal. It would be easy for me to get locked in to little races here and there and lose sight of the bigger goal. That would only put that goal in bigger jeopardy. When chasing a big goal, it’s best to be laser-focused, I’ve found. I’ve got 6 months to get back to being a strong runner and knock this out! It’s going to be a fun ride!
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