Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Trial Run Results

Do you have songs that remind you of certain times in your life? As soon as you hear those first few words, they transport you back to the junior high school roller rink or that college bar. They take you back to your first love or first heart break.

Or maybe remind you of those 5:00 AM long runs?

I have listened to the same radio station at work for the past 3 years. This morning, for the first time ever, they played one of my all time favorite songs to run to: We Will Rock You by Queen.

So, it must have been destiny for me to test out my ankle tonight.

I came home from work this evening, ate dinner and fell asleep on the couch. I'm turning into a lazy slob now that I'm no longer training!

I woke up from my nap feeling like a total slug and decided I better get moving before it got too dark outside. So, I dug out my mp3 player and my Garmin and laced up my shoes.

I was standing in my driveway waiting for my Garmin to get it's signal, and I actually felt cool. It felt so good I wanted to cry. Cry because of the relief from the heat felt so amazing and cry because I have been missing out on the enjoyment of running in these cooler temps of the past week.

The plan was simple: run as far as I could until my ankle starting hurting.

The result was that I made it to 1.60 miles before my ankle started talking to me. I went a little further to see what would happen, and it really didn't change much so I stopped at 1.75 miles. I walked the .25 mile home and my ankle didn't feel perfect, but it didn't hurt as much as I was expecting. Sitting here I can feel a twinge of discomfort, but I expect by morning it will feel fine again.

So, the final verdict is that I will not be running the Chicago Marathon. I have missed almost 4 weeks of training, and there is just no way I could ever make that up. Not to mention that running 1.75 miles pain free is a long way from what would be needed to pick up where I left off in my training.

I am disappointed, but not devastated. I have come to terms with this over the past few weeks and realize that there will be other races in my future. So, once my ankle is back to normal I'll pick a new race and start training again.

In the mean time, my current goal is to try to get out and do a few small runs a couple times a week, along with some cross training.

I'm hoping to loose a few pounds now that I'm not concerned about proper fuel for running. In the past I've had some success with South Beach, so I have decided to go back on that since low carbs aren't a concern at the moment. Plus, it makes me eat my vegetables that I often otherwise neglect in lieu of other more enticing carb options.

And I'm really really hoping that my ankle will feel good enough to walk across the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day. The walk ends up being about 6 miles by the time you park your car, walk to the start, walk the bridge, walk to the buses to ride back over the bridge, and walk back to your car.

For anyone not familiar, the Mackinac Bridge is a 5 mile bridge that connects the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan.

Tomorrow evening is a team in training group training run, so I intend on going to it and walking as far as I possibly can to give my ankle the walking test. That way I will be able to better judge if I think I can do the Labor Day walk or not.

7 comments:

  1. :(

    Really...that's all I can muster up right now. Although I am glad you were able to make it 1.6 miles before your ankle started up...I'm just really sad that you won't be doing Chicago. :(

    Regardless, count on me to follow you in your upcoming running adventures.

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  2. :( Oh no! I am so sorry! But you need to listen to your ankle and do what's best for it.

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  3. I can definitely relate to the music and it bringing you back to a memory. For example, the song Word Up by Korn was the last song I heard on my Nano while finishing up my FIRST 6 mile run! I will think of that everytime I hear it!

    Good choice on backing down on the chicago marathon. Better to be cautious, than run and not be ready!

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  4. I know you made a tough decision but you did what is right for you. I hope you have an awesome Labor Day and Chicago will be waiting for you in 07.

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  5. A tough decision for sure, but a good one...I once tried to run a half marathon on an injured knee and wasn't able to finish (barely made it to the first mile marker)...there will be plenty of other races...I wish you all the best!

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  6. You made a very tough but good decision. A few years ago on my last 20 mile run before the Columbus marathon -my knee gave out (ITB). I know the feeling but since then I have run Chicago Marathon twice. God luck to you!

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  7. You have such a healthy perspective about the marathon. Good for you! There will be other races and this way you won't be tempted to do things that will leave you more injured.

    but...it does suck!

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