One of my phrases this year is "Feelin' Fine in 09'!" It's more of a state of mind than an actual goal...If you're "feelin' fine," then you try and let the little things roll off your back. You try and not "sweat the small stuff." If you were in Mexico, you'd be saying, "Que Sera Sera."
Well, I'm being tested BIG TIME right now with a challenge!
In less than 2 weeks, I'll be running in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon with about 15,000 fellow runners. Unfortunately, I'm not in "peak performance." As described below, I've got some nerve damage that is making it pretty uncomfortable to run... walk... basically, put any sort of pressure on my leg.
Yep... I'm definitely not "feelin' fine" these days...
Especially after running 9 miles yesterday. I'm one big LIMPER today!
After taking 3 days off from running, I knew I had to get a long run in yesterday. My plan was to take it very easy - run on a treadmill, go slow, and take frequent breaks.
The first 4 miles were pretty tough. While my leg didn't hurt as bad as the previous run (Wednesday night), it still was in quite a bit of pain. After 4, I took my first water break.
I started up again and lasted another 2 miles, then took another break. Assessing where I was, I noticed the pain wasn't as bad as the first 4 miles. Maybe it was loosening up? Or the 550 miligrams of Aleve had kicked in!
I pushed on for 2 more miles, bringing my total up to 8. At this point, I had to reset the machine because I was about to run out of time. The treadmills at my gym will only allow for a maximum of 99 minutes. As you can see, I was running pretty slow... 5.5 mph, which was just a hair under 11 minutes/mile.
The last mile was a numbing experience. I really couldn't feel anything... although I knew the leg wasn't feeling great. I had been running for over an hour and a half. When you're pushing yourself like that, especially for the first time (9 miles), it can be pretty exhausting. I had burned over 1400 calories... Add to that I hadn't run for the past few days, and I was experiencing a lot of fatigue.
When it was over with, I walked for 3/4 of a mile. I was tired... sore... and glad it was over with. I asked myself if I had another 4 miles in me - 40+ more minutes of running? In 2 weeks, I'll need to do that for sure. Can I do it on this bum leg? And NOT on a treadmill?
I think this pain I'm feeling compares to the knee problem I had back in 1999 when I ran my first marathon. I had hurt my knee a few weeks prior to the marathon... but given that I had trained for the past 9 months, I couldn't give it up. I had to complete the marathon.
I think that's where I am these days... I've been running since the first of the year. I have planned on completing this Half. While my goal had been to beat 2:24 (Nashville), I now just hope to finish.
So I'm trying to let this roll off my back... put this on the back burner... and to embrace "Feelin' Fine in 09' " with confidence! Of course, it's a day-by-day challenge!
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