T-19…
My last few LONG runs, I have let myself rest for several days. Let’s be real, and admit that my knees are old, and have more miles on them then I care to count.
But today, I finally got the appointments for my mammogram and ultrasound, and admittedly needed to run. I have often thought it was the trees, birds, wildlife in general as well as the path that called to me for these runs. But I realized tonight, it was I who needed this release. I needed to clear my mind, my heart, my HEAD of all that was swimming inside of me, yet as I started this run I knew I may not have success. Yet I got off of work, picked up my youngest and after getting home, quickly changed into my running gear before I could change my mind.
I drove the 15 minutes to my favorite windmill just outside of Batavia, and parked my jeep. I was feeling a little discombobulated, but I hit the trails and battled the ever hated first mile. I kept trying to tell myself the first mile always sucks. But as I crossed the bridge over the Fox River to loop back, I realized I plain, HURT. My knee, my Achilles, my IT band and everything else in between was screaming at me…My breathing was fine, but that is about the only good thing I can say about this ‘run’ if you can call it a run…
I stopped at around 2.5 miles, and with tears in my eyes and a mile to go I walked…I turned my Runtastic app off, shut down my Garmin, and sadly hung my head. Just two days ago I RAN 20 miles, with only minimal stops to stretch, pee, and get through the water stops without pouring water all over my face. I made myself run another ¼ mile to the Jeep, and crawled in after a few stretches.
Driving home I was in tears and the sheer pain I felt in my knee from just pressing down on the gas pedal put my emotions into overdrive.
I know this is slightly normal, but I had hoped all of my training would leave me strong for my 3 week taper. Not so much…
So I took a hot shower, and washed off all the negative vibes. I propped my knee up on a pillow on the couch, and gave myself 2 ultrasound therapy treatments. It is feeling slightly better, so I hope another day or two of rest and I’ll be back on the trails.
Goals for the next 3 weeks:
1. Taper smart and taper strong.
2. Keep running my short runs fast and long runs easy.
3. Drop at least 5 lbs with a healthy diet and hopefully a smaller appetite due to fewer miles.
4. Listen to my body, yet don’t get lax.
5. Ultimately finish the Chicago Marathon in less than 5 hours. 4:59 is acceptable.
A huge shout out to everyone who has commented and supported me, as well as my friend Sandy. I WON a giveaway finally!!! Check out her blog!!! http://bostonboundbrunette.blogspot.com/
Happy hump day tomorrow, may you all have a blessed week, happy miles, and healthy limbs.
Lastly, I AM NOT A ROBOT! Please take that setting off your blog! It makes it so hard to comment! xoxoxo
Movin' it with Michelle 
Hugs. That is all.
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Andrea. YouOwe me a date!
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You got this Michelle!! You can meet all of those goals. Don't focus too much on the time. It is your first Marathon and the goal should be to just finish!! Thanks for the love 🙂
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I totally agree…it's your first marathon & the goal should be to finish healthy so you can celebrate with a martini later. 😉 Don't stress, you will be fine. Enjoy the day. BTW, I have the robot stuff on my blog to keep spammers away.
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20 miles is a long long way. You are probably going to need a few days to recover. I always have a poor run or two after a spectacular long run. It is a bummer, but it always happens! You have the fitness for a sub-5 marathon now. You will still have that same level of fitness 2.5 weeks from now, regardless of how much you run from now until then. That means: Use this time to rest and recover. BTW, I like your "no robot" comments section!
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What Pete B said and lots of HUGS xxx
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I'm also suffering the toll of the 20-miler. A little bit of rest is mentally the most annoying thing in the world right now, but its the best thing for us! Hope you are feeling 100% SOON!
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