Not Meant to Run

Ten years ago I would have told you I hated running. It was just a way to get in shape for wrestling. I would have said my body type wasn't suited to long distance running, and that there was a snowball's chance in hell that I'd ever run a marathon. Looking ahead to my third marathon, it is apparent that my actions have flown in the face of what I had previously promised, but there is still one thing that seems to ring true: my body isn't made for this. I've been trying to come back from my toe injury the past few weeks by doing some treadmill running, but it has consistently been one step forward and two steps back. I'll have a decent run and try to start increasing my distance only to wake up to soreness and pain in my toe. I tried to go out today and it felt bad immediately. I've come to the realization that I'm gong to have to stop training for an extended period of time--at least a couple of weeks--if I'm gong to get over it. This will leave precious little time for actual running training, and what time I have I'll be paranoid about reinjuring it. Constant fear of injury and mentally monitoring the joints really saps the fun out of running. If this becomes a recurring thing, I'll probably have to hang up my hat on marathon running. Its not worth the pain and struggle and arthritis in old age just to be constantly disappointed during training.

As for my marathon this year, its all pretty much in the air at this point. If two or three weeks cures me, I will be ok, might not make my goal, but I will get through it. If my toe isn't feeling 100% by race day, well, running one marathon on a sprained ankle was bad enough. There's always another race.

Well, that's enough doom and gloom for one post. I plan on biking and trying out some swimming in the lake and perhaps some water jogging. The biggest failing of these alternatives is that they don't adequately work the muscles of the calves and feet, so I'll try to throw in some exercise for that as I'm able. I swam around a lake called Lake La Fave in northeastern Wisconsin last weekend (a bit over a mile swim) which went ok, albeit slowly.