Hello world. I’m back.
I don’t even know where to start…
Injury Update:
I’m sure you all know that I had tendonitis in my ankle. It was very upsetting. I was about to take my 16-mile long run that weekend, and things all fell apart during an interval run. I should have known better. I was feeling off that day, not balanced, and then I took off super fast, like 6:00min/mile sprints fast… (Ok, super fast for me…) And then I felt the twinge and ignored it. I was close to the distance goal I had set for this run. I learned my lesson, when you’re an athlete, your head can only tell you so much, it’s your body that you need to listen to. It is what it is, and now my punishment comes in the form of a deferral.
Marathon Updates:
Yes, with great disappointment, I will be deferring my entry to the Richmond Marathon to the 2014 race. There is no way I could catch up with my training in a month’s time. I’m still recovering and I think I’d be setting myself up for failure as well as another injury if I ran in the marathon. This is going to be so cliché and sound completely lame and completely cheesy but I want my first marathon to be great. I want it to be special and I want to do it in good health and with good spirits. I would be cheating myself if I ran it half-ready.
I haven’t quite decided if I am going to wait a year to run my first marathon, or if I’m going to run one in the spring. A seed has been planted in regards to running the Virginia Beach Shamrock Marathon in March… but we’ll see. I’m sure I’ll let you know as soon as I decide.
Half-Marathon Updates:
The Crawlin’ Crab Half Marathon is THIS WEEKEND, this Sunday to be exact. Call me crazy, but I did decide TO RUN this race. I will be hitting the expo and packet pickup on Saturday and racing at 8:00am on Sunday. I didn’t want to defer this entry because I felt that I could finish this race. I ran 5 miles on Monday (the last day to defer) and didn’t have any ankle/tendon pain or soreness, nor did I have any pain or soreness the next morning, so I am confident that I will make it through. I have no shame in taking walk breaks if needed. I am certainly not expecting a PR from this race and I am not expecting to come anywhere near my previous goal of finishing sub 2:15. I will be happy just to finish this race.
Luckily, this course is significantly flat. The weather is supposed to be beautiful on Sunday, and a portion of this race is along the water. I have been told by Kristy from Breath of Sunshine that it is a great course “to recover on.” (She’s also running the race) I’m taking her word for it. Look for a race review sometime soon! And good luck to anyone else running The Crawlin’ Crab!!
Yoga Updates:
This was the silver-lining of this whole injury month. I have rediscovered my love of practicing yoga. I’ve been doing a lot of home practice and I bought ten classes at two different studios. One is a very “authentic” studio where some serious chanting occurs at the beginning and end of class, the other is an exclusively “HOT” yoga studio. I have taken one class at the first studio and hopefully will have a chance to start at the second one soon. (I have been battling a Sinus Infection for the past week and a half and didn’t want to be sniffling and coughing the whole class).
Other things:
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One of Trae and I’s favorite quick eats places, Tijuana Flats is helping the cause. If you donate $1 they will make your tacos and chips pink! Here are Trae’s pink tacos and the cute pink ribbon chips…
This Bolthouse Farms Amazing Mango is my new favorite flavor.
I am so ready for fall sweater weather… I had to break out a big cozy one last Sunday… I was being lazy, but it felt so good.
Speaking of sweater weather… I cannot get enough chili these days. One of my favorite Fall/Winter meals.
Saw Rascal Flatts… not my favorite band, but it was still a nice night out.
Enjoyed a date night somewhere new… Headed out to one of the Fishing Piers for dinner and drinks. They had a great seasonal beer, Abita Pecan Harvest Ale. It was really good, sort of tasted similar to Newcastle.
It feels good to be back and I’m sure this race in a few days will feel even better. I have to confess that I feel somewhat lazy these days. I was in such a good place right before the injury. I had a schedule that I was very strict about, I ran with a plan, a set mileage for each week and now I’m finding every excuse to sleep in. I need to just push myself and I’ll be back with it, I’m really hoping this race gives me a push in the right direction. I think I need to feel the endorphins, the adrenaline and I’ll want to be right back to where I left off.
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What do you do to come back from an injury slump? Or a running slump in general?
How do you find the motivation again?
How crazy am I for running this half after being in recovery for a month?
Reading Runner Girl 
Good luck with your half marathon! Hope it gives you the lift you need 🙂
Thanks! Me too 🙂
Welcome back! Have a great time running the Crawlin Crab!
Thanks! Don’t think I can go wrong with a long run, new race bling, coors light, & bakers crust all in one day!
The Crawlin Crab sounds so fun! Mostly because I love eating crab 🙂 As for the full marathon that distance will always be there and you are so smart to not run it if you’re not all the way healthy. That distance really isn’t anything you want to jack with. But I know when you do run it, you will rock it!! 🙂
Thanks for the affirmation. I hate having to put my goals off, but it’s definitely for the better and I’ll be able to run a much stronger race if I wait. 🙂
So sorry to hear about your injury, but good for you for being smart. It doesn’t sound like you’re beating yourself up about it. It is so much better to walk into a marathon knowing that you did everything you could to make it great!
I wish I could get into yoga, but I just really don’t like it. I used to do ballet, and stretching was BY FAR my least favorite thing (still is as a runner). Maybe I’ll give yoga another try, because I’m losing flexibility by the minute! 🙂
I always liked practicing yoga but I wasn’t serious about it. During this injury, yoga to gave me a challenge to focus on instead of the running. I wanted to get into crow (Bakasana) pose so bad. It kind of became a driving force and now I’m head over heels for yoga. Can’t wait to try the hot yoga studio I bought a pass to. Maybe you could find a goal to accomplish through yoga and you’ll find a deeper appreciation for it. My arms and core are that much stronger from practicing too!
I hope we cross paths on Sunday! I promise it’s a great course! I fell victim on my road to my first marathon too….and fell in love with yoga because of it too. You are do smart to heal before tackling 26.2.
Yeah I don’t want to ruin running just because I’m impatient. But like I wrote in the post, I kind of have my eyes on the Shamrock. Are you running it since it’s a J&A race? I’m more of a winter runner so maybe it’ll work out better this way… Definitely keep an eye out for me on Sunday! I think I’ve already changed my race outfit though, pretty sure it’ll be blue tank, blue brooks, red comp. socks… Still deciding on the shorts though!
Yay, good luck this weekend!!!! Be smart and be tough 🙂
Thank you 🙂
I’m glad you’re back! Whenever I’m in a slump I run a race. New swag and a (hopefully!) new PR always cheers me up and gets me more motivated to run! So I think your choice to run the half this weekend is a good one! Good luck!
I have no intention of getting a PR this weekend, but I definitely think the spirit of the race will be the best medicine! Thanks for the luck! 🙂
Welcome back! That sucks that your injury was enough to make you defer for your marathon, but I think you have the right idea. No need to rush it, especially if you’re coming back from an injury. Good luck in your half!! I have one coming up as well and just like you, all I want to do is cross the finish line. Sometimes races just don’t have to be races 🙂
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