Well, crap.
I think it’s time to admit that a combination of
overtraining, under stretching, and under eating have put quite the damper on
my marathon goals.
The Sunday after my 14 mile run with Nike+ two weekends
ago, I was hurting. I ran 6 miles in the park, but they weren’t pretty.
(And I was WAY over dressed!)
And
Monday after work when I headed to the park? Forget it. I was limping, my
calves were hard as rocks, and pain was radiating up and down my shins. I’ve
felt this before- and when I ignored it, I got myself a stress fracture and
weeks on crutches.
(That was fun commuting to NYC...NAHT)
You would think I had learned my lesson, right? Maybe not
so much. I DID immediately go to JackRabbit for a new pair of sneakers, hoping
that that was the issue. A fresh pair of Saucony Guide 7s will fix things,
please?
(They didn't have them in blue and pink! I was sad at first, but these black and neon ones have really grown on me!)
I knew I needed to make some other changes to my routine too. Up until
then, I really hadn’t been foam rolling and stretching the way I knew I
probably should be. It hurts to foam roll, and I was feeling fine- I didn’t need to take preventative measures
right? Ugh. Idiot. So I got new sneakers and vowed to up my time spent foam
rolling. I bought ice packs and Ace bandages and starting icing every night. I
cracked and bought a $60 pair of CEP compression socks and they were pretty
magical- within a few days I was feeling better and keeping up with my training
schedule. I thought I was in the clear.
(Ready to roll!)
Sure, I wasn’t 100%, but I was marathon training, and my
legs were supposed to feel a little shitty.
I decided that I would take the recommendation I had
received to get a massage from a woman named Claudia, even though it was going
to set me back a nice chunk of change. This could be my only marathon- I am not
messing around!
So this Saturday morning I laced up my sneakers and ran
the 4 miles to my massage appointment in midtown.
(Seen on my run Satuday morning. Beautiful, Central Park)
Claudia yelled at me for
running there. Claudia took one look at me and told me to eat more fats (almond
butter instead of peanut butter she said, blasphemy!) Claudia gave me career
advice. Claudia gave me a great message. She taped me, showed me some
stretches, and even let me leave with her trigger point foam roller. I had
incredibly high hopes as I walked out of the office.
('MERICA!)
Sunday morning dawned and I set off for the Bronx
10-miler. I was not there to race- I was there for an easy 10 miles and to
“practice drinking” from the aid stations. My legs didn’t feel great and they
didn’t feel awful. I was extremely disappointed when I saw that my average pace
was 8:25- considering my ultimate dream to qualify for the Boston Marathon
would mean maintaining an 8:12 pace throughout my marathon. But I also know
that the water stations slowed me down A LOT. The volunteers weren’t handing
out cups, they were just standing behind the table!
Regardless, I tried not to think about the race and my
time. Then, it was Monday. I had 6 miles scheduled and ran 3 miles on the
treadmill during my lunch break. Then, I set off after work for the second half
of my mileage and at around 1.5 miles I had to stop and walk.
Excuse me, limp.
My shin splints were the worst they’ve been in over a year and I came so close
to breaking down and crying in the street. I just paid over $100 to make this
go away and now, I was feeling worse than before! But in the end, I couldn’t
expect that massage to be miracle. For weeks now, my body has been warning me
to slow down and take it easy and I stubbornly refused to cut back on my
scheduled mileage. “I need to follow the plan!” I insisted, even though more
experienced runners than myself told me it was OK to take a day or 2 off.
But seriously. Why is this happening now? One week away
from my first marathon, that I have been training for for months? It’s so
frustrating. I’ve decided that I am going to take the rest of the week off.
Instead of 5 miles tonight, I’m going to a spin class. The rest of the week, I
am resting, eating, stretching, rolling, icing and PRAYING that the break means
fresh legs on Sunday. My dream of breaking 3:35:00 is all but gone at this
point. I’m just hoping I can run the entire 26.2 miles.
(This really really sucks)
I’m worried that the time off will be detrimental to my
training, but everyone I’ve talked to says it’s better than making my shins and
calves worse than they already are.
Anyone out there have any more advice?
