marathon monday: sidelined & up in the air

About April. The OKC Memorial Marathon is now seven weeks away. How we jumped from fourteen to seven weeks in just a few hectic days is a mystery to me, but here we are. I have spent the last couple of months in a state of gradually improving physical fitness despite that truly maddening ankle sprain and the attendant stillness that is just not my groove. Life beyond running has been full to bursting with changes and activity too, so it’s no wonder that time has flown. What does this mean for me participating in the April race? Well, maybe the Universe knew it might not be in the cards for me this spring, and that is why around the holidays when registration was cheap I just kept not clicking through and making it happen. I now feel in my guts that a full 26.2 miles is not what my body needs right now. That’s okay. There are other marathons later in the year for which I could train and be really ready. I had resolved last year not to run distance this again unless I was prepared. 2015 was humbling.

So here I am being all rational and peaceful about this conclusion, then Handsome and I drive to Bricktown last night with some friends and I see this view:

Wide open streets. Barely stormy skies. The Oklahoma City skyline. My gosh. It’s so tempting. I am going to be really sad if I don’t run something at the end of April.

Maybe the half? Back when Tiny T and I finally went to see an orthopedic doctor, I was granted permission to nibble at running short, slow distances, as long as I wore that bionic-woman ankle brace. So I began slowly, grabbing first a mile or two, then ramping up very cautiously to five miles at once then seven. That was about three weeks ago, and I am happy to say that now my weekly mileage is up to around thirteen (total), plus some barre classes or yoga mixed in, and overall my ankle feels wonderful. Sometimes it’s tight or has a stinging sensation, but it’s no longer painful. My follow-up doctor appointment was cancelled because it fell right in the thick middle of some much more important farm business, so I have yet to see the doctor again for that final green light. But I believe when I finally go in he will say, “RUN! Run for your life!” I want this more than Mitt Romney wanted the Presidency.

Okay, April. Fast forward through my convoluted brain process to this:

I’m okay with not being fast right now, which is the goal I had set for myself last autumn. I’m okay with postponing a marathon until later in 2016. But…Is seven weeks enough time to both get in the shape I crave (so I’m not dieting during race week) and prepare for a good, solid half marathon?

According to this Hal Higdon Training Program, yeah, probably it is. This is a totally reachable goal, and a lot of great stuff can happen in seven weeks.

So. It’s Monday. My plan is to dive deep into the second half of that half marathon training program and be kind to my body along the way (food, water, vitamins, stretches, positive affirmations). I will also call to set a follow-up appointment to check my tight, stinging ankle, and we’ll go from there. If racing even just the half is not in my cards this spring, it’s totally fine. The OKC Memorial has hundreds of volunteer opportunities that sound really amazing, and I would be very happy to participate that way too.

In the mean time, I know a few people running the Boston Marathon soon and I am VERY excited for them!! Most of all a local friend Robin, who in my mind is the Comeback Queen. So amazing. With her permission I might share some of those training updates soon.

Thanks for listening, friends! Obviously this is a big deal to me, haha. What races are you planning this year? How are you keeping in shape, mentally and physically? Do you ever see a wide open city street and fantasize about running it?

Run for Your Life
XOXOXOXO