Who else would run 20 miles with a rock in his shoe, leading to swollen forefoot and an arranged marriage with a pair of fatty Hokas? At least, that's how 2012 started out for me. Stupid. Why didn't I take the rock out of my shoe? Seconds equal minutes! If I stop to adjust every little discomfort during a race, I lose precious time! But I wasn't racing, I was in the middle of a training run. And lo and behold, 4 months later, the swelling in my right forefoot has FINALLY gone down! Well, at least I can stop wearing the Hokas. Man, I've missed my Saucony Peregrines...
That's a perfect example of my ignorance. My body tells me lots of things that I often choose to ignore, because I don't know any better. I should know better, but I don't. And here I am, icing my Plantar Fasciitis with a relaxed mindset, because I've decided to drop out of Bighorn (June 15, 2 weeks away) and Wasatch (Sept 7). In my last blog post, I was very optimistic about finishing Bighorn. Since then, I've had some wake up calls...
JUNE 2, 2012
2 weeks before Bighorn, the plan was to get some decent hiking in before completely tapering down. But when I arrived at the foot of Wahkeena Falls, I started running to the top of Larch Mountain. The foot felt okay, but my fitness had obviously deteriorated over the past month and a half of rest. That was a little disappointing. The effort reminded me of the first time I ran up to Larch Mountain with Chris Peck in 2010. At the tippy top, I pulled out a golf ball and rolled my foot briefly to try to work out some of the soreness. By the time I ran all the way to the base of Multnomah Falls, my foot was sore (but not unbearably sore). It was the limping the next morning that forced my hand in the decision. Enough of this...
At this point, it's more of a relief to take away the stress of will my foot be ready in time for the race? Will my fitness be adequate? Can I train AND heal at the same time? If I run Bighorn, how far will I push the pain? How long would it to take to heal AFTER Bighorn? There's no way I'll be able to heal AND train for Wasatch, either. If I drop out of both and let my foot heal, I can at least salvage a decent summer of running...what's more important to me?...Any muggle could find it an easy choice to make. But for a competitive trail runner who yearns for the most difficult and beautiful endurance challenges...it took me a little longer to come to terms with the situation. But in the end, I'm giving myself the chance to heal and become a healthier and stronger runner. And when I say healthier, I'm ignoring the fact that I just ate an entire box of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Everybody goes through this eventually, in some way or form. A perfect summer is now reduced to next year's dream. But this perspective has really turned my passion towards something more pure...I just want to be able to run fast again! This gingerly running has been frustrating, and all I want is to be able to let loose on some trails like a slow cheetah.
So here's the plan:
- Heal the foot!
- Work on my core strength and general flexibility
- Transition back to my Saucony Peregrines! (I fear the Hokas have made my feet weak...just a theory)
- Volunteer for any race that I can
- Get back in shape, steady as she goes
- Run the Volcanic 50 on September 15th (race around Mt. St. Helens)
- Run Rim-Rim-Rim at the Grand Canyon (or epic equivalent) in October
- Beat my time from last year at the North Face 50 mile endurance run on December 1st in San Francisco (Registered).
TO MY FRIENDS
I was really looking forward to enjoying my hundred milers with Jen E, Jenn L, Josh B, Cheri R, Gary R, Tom O'Toole, Julie T, Stephen P, Scott W, and others...but I hope you enjoy the journey without me. Run healthy, and kick some ass!
And to Kyle, thanks for all the Love! Way to rock your first marathon on Saturday!
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| Nice Shirt! |
Sorry to hear this. I know that must have been a hard decision. I think its the right one in the end tho. Rest up and look forward to being able to just run and not be "training."
ReplyDeleteI fear that I am right behind you with Waldo. Since Sun Mountain, two weeks ago, Ive only put in 3ish miles at the Starlight 5k. I made it to the end, but my foot was definitely sore during and after.
We'll see how this week goes.
Once again, rest up and enjoy the pressure-less summer!
You are wise and you will be back and running fast before you know it. It's a bummer, but as you say, everyone experiences this at some point. You've got a lot of years ahead of you. Enjoyed reading your post! Here's to getting back in those Peregrins.
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