Back In Double Digits!!

Let me say it one more time - Physical Therapists rock!

So, yeah, I was really frustrated last week. I saw "Sarah the Sadist" (said with fondness, I swear) twice. She worked her magic. She also showed me how to loosen up my foot and my ankle by myself.

I didn't get maintenance runs in and was more than a little bit nervous going into Sunday. Team was running 8, I was running 10.

And I am thrilled to say that I made the 10 miles!!!

I really hope this means I am back in the game for good. We have 10 more weeks to MCM, and I really, really, really want to finish the race.

Too Soon? Maybe...Maybe Not.

I haven't written about running yet this week. In fact, I haven't run since Sunday.

Sigh. So here's why...I felt great after Sunday's run (8 miles for those of you keeping track), but had a bad flare of PTT pain by Monday morning. Like a "limping up the stairs, needs lots of ice and ibuprofen" flare. It was the first day that I confronted the idea that I might not be able to run the race. I'll be honest - I cried.

 

For those of you who have been with me since the start of this journey, you know all the reasons I decided to do this, why I chose the charity I'm raising money for, what it's meant to ME to start running. I will be absolutely gutted if I can't finish this. My friends, my family, my coworkers who have supported me...my running partners...myself...disappointed.

 

Here's the thing...the Marine Corps Marathon is in 73 days. I'm *almost* at the critical deciding point in training. So I have been pep-talking myself all week. Stretching. Walking.

 

I'm going to PT this afternoon and I am hoping that Sarah can work her magic and un-knot me so I can run tonight. Keep your fingers crossed for me...I'm not out yet.

Cautiously optimistic...

OK, so I ran 7 miles with my team on Sunday. Lots of sweat (96% humidity) but minimal pain. The tape stayed put for most of the run, but started to come loose right at the ankle at about mile 6. I ran successfully yesterday without kinesio tape for the first time since early July - a little over 3 miles. I had a little pain in the tibealis posterior, but was able to stretch it and finish the run.

Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled. My physical therapist rocks! Thank you, Sarah and NovaCare Rehabilitation .

One of the coaches is helping work up a revised schedule to get me back on track for mileage. Planning 8 for this Sunday, and will need to work in some extra long runs to ensure I make it to 20 miles by mid-October.

Race day is now less than 80 days!!!

Oh, and let me not forget WHY I am doing this besides the benefits for me...the most recent AIDS United newsletter is worth a read. AIDS United and Washington AIDS Fund are the beneficiaries of my training program, and every cent you donate to my run goes to them. Both have excellent records with regard to fiscal responsibility and both are impacting care in a positive way.

Signal, Noise

I have had a really noisy week. Not bad, necessarily, just noisy. Very interactive. Lots of interesting conversations on lots of different topics with lots of different people. Almost none of it's been about running. I haven't really thought about writing about running. (smile)

Hm - in all fairness, I shouldn't call that noise, should I? It's only noise in the sense that my internal voice is signal, everything outside of that is noise.

When I first started this blog, I wrote about running as therapy, as a way of getting out of the unforgiving cycle of depression and its debilitating mental and physical effects. This past couple of weeks I really started to feel awake for the first time since I went pharmaceutical free. Awake, engaged, but not...I don't know, hyper? Even though my mind felt like it was on overdrive at some point, I was able to quiet it, sort my thoughts out, and move on. So my internal voice was primarily active and positive and deeply thoughtful, and when it headed into murky water, I was able to sail back out.

The whole subject of mind/body connection is fascinating to me.   It's something I've only really started exploring for myself (as opposed to reading about in abstract) recently. Running started out being about, well,  running, but over time it's become somewhat meditative. Getting into that physical rhythm and trying to listen to my body has de-stressed my mind. Those of you who have always been athletes are probably wondering how I could be just now figuring this out!