Catch That Ball!

When life throws you curve balls, you just catch ‘em & keep truckin’! It’s the similar philosophy to “make lemonade out of lemons” (with vodka, of course!). This has been my motto this week… no silly, not just the vodka, but accepting that I’ve hit a few hurdles & finding the energy to push on through. Along with my normal everyday mantra— “just embrace it”.

Prior to this weekend, I can’t recall ever completely missing a long run. I’d consider my dedication to be one of my admirable qualities. Sure I’ve had to cut a few short or take walk breaks; but never just omit one long run completely. On Friday morning, I was enjoying a normal Stroller Strides workout when I tweaked my foot. I was doing a hop-over-cardio-burst, in which I rolled my foot & I assume, stretched something internally in the lateral aspect of my left foot. It felt sore, but okay for the first 4-6 hours. Then the pain just intensified by what seemed like each minute over the next 4-6 hours. I could no longer put pressure on my left foot, so walking, let alone running, was out. I started to freak out about my marathon training being over… not being able to play with my boys… not being able to walk up the stairs… not being able to adequately do my job at work… not being able to run all of my races that will occur between now & November. Yes, pure freak out ensued.

After a nearly impossible hobble home from the pool on Friday afternoon, I iced my foot & took 2 Aleve. I enjoyed yummy takeout with the hubby & pretty much just moped/pouted on the couch. I wanted to drown my sorrows away with sangria, but instead stayed optimistic that I might be able to run in the morning. Haha! Silly woman. By bedtime, I knew running was out. I sadly informed my running partner & went to sleep with no alarm set. The next morning, I awoke after 8 hours of sleep & my foot felt 10x better. YAY! Much to the runner in me’s dismay (but made the coach in me very happy!); I decided to still keep it as a rest day. Because I was scheduled to work Sunday—my normal 24 hour shift, a long run for the weekend was simply out of the question.

I fully elaborate upon the details of this recent acute injury to hopefully encourage readers who may have tweaked their own body parts, that it is not the end of the world. You can & will heal. Missing one workout is not the end of the world. Sure it feels like all of your training will be screwed up, but really, you can jump back in (if the time off is brief) when you are back up to your norm. If it’s a more involved injury, just know that there will be other races. Running is a lifetime sport for me; a break allowing myself to fully heal is so worth not being “permanently” injured.

Aside from the foot drama, I have been thrown technological curve balls. My iPhone has passed away. Sad story, I know. A month or so ago, I was having charging issues (which resolved), then this past weekend, my phone decided it no longer wished to charge at all. It made it so close to the iPhone 6 release; but alas, couldn’t trudge through for that final month. Oh well, life goes on. Doesn’t Apple know how important a phone & all of its apps are to a woman of the 21^st century—specifically a mother, running coach, & friend?! Hopefully I’ll be getting this situation rectified this afternoon. Oh & did I mention my PC at the same time has decided to be super slow & borderline terrify me that I could see the “blue screen of death” at any moment. Great. How will I produce my fabulous training plans?! Hehe. Joking, but not really….. they are pretty great. At least the 2-year-old-people in my life are cute & napping well. It’s the small things, right?! I also am very grateful for an awesome speedwork session last week, as well as a semi-good tempo run (although I sure didn’t think so at the time, huh Julie?!). Oh & as a result of purchasing a HRM (heart rate monitor) last week, my tempo run produced an marathon race predicted time of 3:41…. interesting. Only 6 minutes off from my Boston Qualifier. But that’s a whole separate post!

So, my venting (but really meant to inform!) post is over. I will be on the upswing soon with my technology & running again. Have no fear. Please be patient with my delayed responses to emails & texts during this time of my regression into the 1990s—pre-smartphone-era. Happy Monday!

 

 

What was your most annoying injury?

Are you attached at the hip to your smart phone like I am?