26 Or Bust!

As if training to run 26.2 miles wasn’t hard enough, a kink has been thrown in the works. It turns out that I’ve developed peroneal tendinitis in my right foot and can’t hit the pavement for a few weeks. How did this come to be? As per usual when things are amiss in my life, it was my own fault.

After an easy 5-mile run last Sunday, my right foot was killing me, to the point that I was limping later in the day. I thought it was perhaps because of the new sneakers I was wearing outside for the first time. Remembering the R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) rule from middle school health class, I was sure to sit down and ice it that night and the the following morning.

Monday brought no relief from the pain and I limped to work on the verge of tears. I was sure something very serious was wrong with my foot and that I’d have to abandon my marathon quest. It was too much to think that I had worked so hard and raised so much money, yet would have to just walk away from it all. I immediately called my podiatrist and got an appointment for Wednesday.

It didn’t take long for her to figure out what went awry. My orthotics were old, worn out and ready to retire. At the beginning of training I briefly wondered if I needed new orthotics made. Foolishly, I thought they had been refurbished more recently than they had and that I’d be fine. My sole moment of sound judgment was choosing not to run through the pain. My doctor assured me that had I tried to keep running, I would have likely broken my foot. Egads. Casts of my feet were made and new orthotics are in the works. In three weeks they will be done and I should be able to run again.

In the meantime, there will be no more running for this girl. I get to look forward to three weeks of cross-training—stationary bike, swimming, anything that doesn’t stress that foot. My coach told me to keep my training sessions to the same length of time our long runs would be. So, if a 13 mile run is scheduled, maybe 2.25 hours for me, then I need to go to the gym and do a 2.25-hour aerobic workout. Fun times.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not too upset with how things turned out. Is it ideal? Of course not, but at least I didn’t break my foot. As long as I’m careful, I’ll be able to stay in shape and catch up with the rest of the team in a few weeks. On April 26th, I will still cross that finish line if only a little slower than planned.

Constantly, I remind myself of the people I’ve met through Team In Training who have completed marathons while undergoing treatment for cancer. If they can do it, surely I can manage with a bum foot.