And I’m Back in the Game!

You would have thought it was a night before a big race – I was asleep at 10:00 but wide-awake again at midnight unable to get any additional shut-eye.  I tried eating something to coax myself back into a slumber, a tactic that helped me fall back asleep the night before last fall’s Marine Corps Marathon when I was pacing the halls at 3:00 am stressed out about my funny-acting right ankle.  But for hours last Monday night, it seemed that no matter what I tried I was too worried, excited?, and nervous about what was coming the following morning.  The performance that was creating my anxiety wasn’t on a racecourse, however; it was at the orthopedic surgeon’s office.

I spent the morning after my restless night trying to come up with a tactic – Should I try to bully the doctor into letting me run again?  Or should I throw myself at his mercy, beg him to level with me, and tell him that I’m on the verge of really freaking out?  One thing I could decide on was that I would not cry, no matter what the results.  Last appointment was too close of a call.  I think the doctor knew I was close to waterworks when he delivered the sentence of three additional weeks without running.  Runners with stress fractures are so dramatic.

At the orthopedic surgeon’s office, I was first interviewed by the physician’s assistant.  I REALLY wanted to run again, but I also didn’t want to deceive the doctors and have them send me back on the roads under a false diagnosis.  Thus, I was coming clean with the facts that I still had some tenderness at the point of my lower right leg stress fracture, discomfort in my recently overused left ankle area, and some soreness in my right hip, when I caught the P.A. ring-check me.  I almost busted out laughing, but I tried to quickly recover and carry on with my injury update, pretending like I didn’t notice him glance at my left hand as I was gesticulating through my story.  Still, I admit, there was a pause…

Turns out there was no need to do laundry at 2:00 am the night before to ease my mind, because several minutes after the P.A. left the room (perhaps out of embarrassment?), the orthopedic surgeon came in and gave me the clear to (slowly) begin running again. 

It probably took about three minutes – a time frame during which I may or may not have thrown several fist pumps in the bathroom – before I was lacing up my old running shoes and strapping on my Garmin, which still displayed a current pace of 6:34 and a distance of 11.3 miles – the point at which I dropped out of the Boston Marathon and evidently also hit the stop button on my watch.  But Tuesday’s run of only 2 miles at roughly a nine-something pace (ok, it was a jog) was far more successful.

In a recent article on Runner’s World, Olympic marathoner Kara Goucher, who has been recovering from a sacral stress fracture, stated that her coach’s plan required her to be running on solid ground again by July 1^st in order to make a fall marathon (a deadline she had no problem meeting).  I find it funny that my doctor’s appointment and first day back running on the roads was July 1^st – It was a fresh start to the 2^nd half of 2014.

So, am I thinking a fall marathon like Goucher?  Does a distance runner like to eat?  Of course, I am already contemplating what will be my next marathon, and I would love to complete one before the end of the year (along with several other shorter distance races!), but for the moment, I am just grateful to be able to head out of the door on an easy, slow run.

This Week’s Mileage:  8.5  (3 Super Easy Runs – 2 miles, 3 miles, and 3.5 miles)

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Stone Go To IPA (A fairly new beer, released March 2014.  Tastes awesome.  Light enough for the beach and only 4.5% alcohol/volume so you can enjoy for a while)

Enjoying a Stone Go To IPA with my Best Friend