Trial Run

Today was my first run since this recent foot injury. I had been feeling some relief over the weekend and went to see my chiropractor yesterday for another treatment. She encouraged me to try to run this morning and just stay close to home to see how much I could handle. I had some soreness in my foot the minute I stepped out of bed this morning. I tried to stay hopeful that the run wouldn't be too painful. During my walk warm up I was trying not to change my gait, but my foot was quite sore. I began to run through my intervals and was pleased that running did not increase my already existing pain. I made it through 30 minutes and had to return home only because I did not wake up early enough for any longer. I also didn't want to over do it and be in severe pain the rest of the day. It is interesting because once I showered and got ready for work, my heels are actually the most comfortable for my foot and has the least impact on my gait. I have iced twice today and I am heading to the couch for more ice and maybe some massage. I must admit, this has brought my spirits down a bit. This is now my fourth injury since January of this year. I know in part this comes with the territory in being a runner. But I also know that I am just not strong enough. The time necessary for proper cross training and overall body strength are something that I lack. I was speaking to a fellow running acquaintance today who said she maintains a 10 mile maximum training run and doesn't rely on an intensive training schedule for a marathon. She believes that the mental component during the race is the essential element to crossing the finish line. She said that if you can run a strong 10 mile run, a marathon requires three times your strength. Just as a half marathon requires three times the strength of a 5k run. I have thought about that today and it has crossed my mind that perhaps I will not sustain the training schedule set before me. To date, my longest run is 15 miles. Initially, I had wanted to run a full 26 mile training run to feel that I had already accomplished such distance while I am at the race. But now I am not sure if that is the best plan. I am going to continue my treatments with the chiropractor and have a serious talk with my running coach this Saturday to discuss my training schedule. Obviously, I don't want to jeopardize my training by "over-training" and then be faced with a severe injury that prevents me from even reaching the start line at Marine Corps. I'm not sure why I have been faced with these injuries this year. Nothing is harder than having a goal and experiencing these set backs to make it so difficult to accomplish something! I'm seeking peace around this and praying for strong feet to get me through this journey. I'm actually looking forward to the 19 mile run in 2 weeks, but I need to be strong enough to complete it...which means my feet need to cooperate! Positive thoughts and prayers are welcomed right now for me.