Month seven.
A deep breath after month six.
The month started with a physical therapy appointment for knees, but one can consider that progress. Hoping the 10k is smooth this month or at least I'll be there for the boom on the 4th of July.
I see the lucky 777 come up on the slot machine in my mind. Boy am I lucky to be where I am today. Happy. Healthy. Hopeful. I sure do hope this is the turning point month as I head into heavy training. Stay tuned!
I'm beginning the heavy lifting phase of my running training. The Marathon. 26.2 grueling miles. My race. My pace. My story. How I get there is up to me. How prepared I am rests on my shoulders. How I handle adversity is on me. That's a big deal when you think about it.
Each month you will get a glimpse into not only my training but my mindset. Both of which are equally important parts of my preparation. I'll be trying out clothes, fueling options, technology and gear. I'll be thinking about contingency plans. One being the bathroom dilemma. This one sort of freaks me out and untiI I experience the full 26.2 it will be somewhat of a mystery.
Curveball alert! I broke my wrist. Yes that's right. I do all my own stunts. Laughing as I type this. Seriously, a scaphoid fracture takes my forearm, wrist and thumb out of commission via a cast. We will now classify this as orthopedic visit one for the month.
It looks like Dr. and PT appointments now take up part of my valued training time. For a visual running in a cast is like moving with an extra 5 pounds of disproportionate weight you don't know what to do with.
The 10k race is here. Day four of the month. A cast, physical therapy and a race oh my. I had no choice but to run in a cast. My fingers looked like little sausages by the end. No joke! I survived the course despite the extreme heat advisory issued just before they cut off the race. This was by far the hottest day in event history, and I had a cast as an accessory. The race was actually shut down not too long after I finished. The sign had just switched to high alert at mile 5 and went to black while I was leaving. Such a close call for finishing.
As we enter the second half of training I opted for one photo from each of the first six months to post below. A glimpse of how far I've come and a little celebration of me and my progress. It's been a journey so far. I also have an uphill battle in front of me.
Big race recap this month. A local event that attracts 50,000 runners and a lottery entry. The peachtree 10k. A little train ride downtown for this big race. I ran this race over 20 years ago in the mid 1990's just to experience the hype. I ran it a couple times before the pandemic, consecutive years with my daughter. I see many friends each year as well. This year I even met up with a friend from Hawaii and her daughter. This race experience is one of my bigger races as far as people volume goes.
I was somewhat reluctant to sign up for this particular race, but when I did I had a goal in mind. See if I can beat my past best race time. Not a have to, but more like a little test of age, mindset, and overall circumstances. How did I fare? I survived that's all. This was probably my slowest time for this race ever. The combination of the heat advisory, the cast and and and just all my body woes took their toll from mile 4-6. I did finish. That's the main point. I never quit.
Takeaways: I showed up after a rough injury patch in prior weeks. I'm still going. These running lessons, sacrifices and challenges can be great life lessons to apply elsewhere. Life isn't easy. One just has to attack each day with positivity and a will to get out of the hole one is in.
As I finish off this post for July it's ending differently than what I would have planned. MRI results are in. I've been waiting restlessly for answers. Well, not good news. A patella fracture on left knee. That one I didn't see coming but does explain the pain. A torn meniscus on the right knee, this I was expecting. So more rehab for this girl. Walking is not restricted but running is! My body can still move. I just need to modify movements for my situation. Below I am strength training though the weight is light.
If I follow instructions I can still have hope to run in late September. The training will be rough to cram in for the marathon but I will hopefully cross that finish line in November. Stay tuned for updates.
More walking miles than running in my future! And boy is it hard to see my training buddies pounding the pavement while I am sidelined.
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