So, today was a disaster. I knew that the heat and humidity was going to be a factor, so I wanted to forget about trying to hit a goal time, and run conservatively. Everyone's finishing times were about 4-5 minutes off their personal bests, so the weather definitely played a role.
I warmed up 15 minutes easy, and then headed over to the starting line. I did some strides, and then we were off. I tucked in at 6 minute mile pace for the first three miles. The next three miles I had dropped to 6:20 pace, but seemed to be holding steady. We were all getting spread out at this point. At mile 4, my achilles started hurting, but I kept pressing on. Over the next four miles, I started experiencing shooting pains up my right hamstring. I couldn't tell if it was cramping, or if it was a referred pain based on how I was landing on my achilles. It started getting worse in miles 8-9. At this point I knew the race was not happening for me anymore. I limp-jogged my way to the medical tent at mile 10, where they offered me a packet of mustard . . . not helpful! I realized that I wasn't going to get much help, or a ride to the finish, so I decided to jog easy to the end. It didn't matter how slow I went, the shooting pains continued. That was the longest three miles ever. I went to the medical tent at the finish line, where they iced my achilles, which was throbbing pretty good at this point. Later in the evening, the shooting pains came back, running from my hamstring up into my hip.
So, the heat may have been a factor, but what I ultimately realized was that if my achilles can't make it through a half marathon, then the marathon is starting to seem out of the question. Part of me wants to forge on through, but I feel like I'm setting myself up for disaster. The injury is always in my mind, and I keep having to back off my training in order not to aggravate it . . . which means I'm not where I want to be fitness-wise . . . which leads to no confidence when it comes to races.
My initial instinct is to finally take the time to heal up, and start the re-building process. That means Olympic Trials in the marathon are not likely to happen. This is obviously a huge disappointment, but I've been so miserable through this whole process, that it's almost a relief to hit this point. More than my physical limitations, I am not in the right mindset to tackle the marathon. I've put so much importance on qualifying, that I'm not enjoying running . . . especially on an injury. It may be time to get all healed up.
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