A Week to Heal

My run last Monday was quite possibly my most challenging to date. It was a hot summer afternoon in the Valley and my rest the night before left much to be desired. I had also been experiencing some pain in my ankles from the Saturday morning run. Add to all this the fact that I neglected to hydrate myself before my run and I was set for some serious mental training.

As I started my run, I was immediately greeted with my new nemesis… ANKLE PAIN. The pain swelled to something fierce in the first mile, and it was all that I could do to keep my feet chasing after each other. I thrusted myself through the first mile and began to feel a bit of relief from the pain - though it was still there my attention instinctively turned to the dust bowl that was my mouth. Fatigue, lack of water and pain were taking there toll on me as pushed through miles two and three. I wrapped up my run with a final half mile sprint to the local 7-Eleven, where I found myself chugging an ice cold water in front an open cooler; a true moment of bliss that I will not soon forget.

The pain that soon came after the completion of this revelatious run was of significant concern to me. As I sat with ankles wrapped in bags of frozen pees, I contemplated my training schedule for the next week - I want to go to every practice to keep up, but I also want to complete the marathon injury free. My trainer always said listen to your body. And listen I did - when it came time for our midweek run, I got over halfway to our meeting spot and decided to turn around. It was a tough decision, but the right one I feel. Though I have a strong will power, I refuse to let my ego get the best of me.

I ended up taking the remainder of the week off from practice, even missing the 5 mile run on Saturday (which I really wanted to do). Instead, Jamie and I spent Saturday through Tuesday celebrating our 2-year wedding anniversary. We went wine tasting in the Santa Barbara wine country, soaked in mineral springs (ooooooh did this feel good on my beat to hell body) and braved the elements with a night of beach camping in Jalama Beach (which turned out to be a crazy story; ask me about it, I can't post it).

The week off significantly improved my ankles, and I was able to join my fellow runners back on the path for a midweek 4-miler. Although I may be a scoatch behind, I think I prevented a longer hiatus.

Try and keep up with me.