In November, I ran this huge race called New York City Marathon. It was not the performance I would have liked, in fact, I was very, very, very disappointed with it. A few months prior to the race, I started noticing a pain in my hip. I took time off, and the pain didn’t abate. A few weeks prior to the race, I could not stand, sit, or do anything without extreme discomfort. I went to a massage therapist to loosen what I thought was a tight muscle to no avail. The race was expensive. The race alone was almost $400. We had pre-paid our hotel, pre-paid our airline tickets, and my parents cleared their schedule to come up and visit with the kids while we enjoyed New York. I was not going to “not” run it because of an injury. It was a once in a lifetime race. I had waited literally years to run this race.
I got back from NYC, and went to the doctor. Long-story short, I was told I would never run again, and was risking my long-term health by running. I listened to the doctor long enough to call my mom and bawl. I decided I would run again. I went to a physical therapist and wonderful spine doctors, who told me that the doctor was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. My goal race in 2016– probably my last race was NOT in jeopardy. I was going to run again.
The weather in Florida is not ideal for running during the summer. I ran outside when I could tolerate the heat, I spent the rest of the summer on the treadmill. I supplemented my training with walking, and doing Jillian Michael’s Body Shred. I started to rebuild my base. My long run was 4 miles, my short run was 2 miles. In August, I signed up for a Sprint Triathlon. Signing up for that gave me a goal to work for, besides the June goal of Grandma’s marathon.
Today I ran, and it was a huge milestone. I ran 10 miles. This was my first double-digit run since November of 2014. It was not a hard run either. It felt easy. I ran it a 9:30 min/mile, which is the same pace I was training for Georgia Publix (my PR marathon). Granted, I was inside, and on a treadmill, it felt comfortable. It was fun. I was smiling the entire time!!! My weight is starting to come off again. My weight had gone up since my dad passed in June, and now I have 9 pounds to lose before I reach my goal weight, and everything today seems so achievable. What’s more, I just got an e-mail from a client! She got my number from another runner, and I may be working with a high school soccer star on his endurance and running.
