Sigh.
Alright, before I get into that . . .Congrats to Suzanne on her first Half Marathon!!!!
Next, I know I've been absent from the blog for quite awhile . . .too busy and too lazy at the same time and I'm not going to bore you with the countless reasons (excuses?) I have for not posting. Fortunately Suzanne (she was always more organized :) ) has kept it alive and well for both of us.
I haven't been posting but I have been running. In fact, I recently finished the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in Chicago. Problem is though, that I aggravated my IT Band around mile 4 and finished slowly (even for a turtle like me) and painfully. Enough so that my husband talked some sense into me and I realized that the Chicago Marathon is not in the cards (again) for me this year. So . . .Sigh.
Yes, I'm a little depressed and dejected about it. I mean, how many times can one attempt the Marathon? I must be setting a record. Deep down though I know the smart thing is to pull back. I know that if I keep adding miles, especially in the teens, I'll just be asking for trouble.
So back to Plan A: Focus on Half Marathons this year and staying healthy.
I'm not ruling out the Marathon forever. For 2010 yes. For 2011, maybe. For 2012? Who knows. Maybe I'll be able to convince Suzanne to fly to Chicago in a few years to run the Marathon with me :)
Next up . . .getting this IT Band under control. I rested for a week and ran for 30 minutes yesterday in no pain. Going to run this week but take it easy . . .trying to stay healthy enough for the Oak Brook Half Marathon, a Labor Day race my husband and I have been planning to do together. (And when I say together, I mean, we line up together and 0.10 seconds after the start, he is way ahead of me, I keep him in my sights for a little bit and then eventually lose him. And find him again when he's patiently waiting for me at the Finish.)
There's also a Half Marathon not too far from me on October 9, the day before the Chicago Marathon. If my IT Band cooperates I may just run that too. There's also a Half very close to me the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I know, I know, here I go again, asking for trouble. I think though, if I stay in line with 13 miles as my max, I might be okay. Better than adding 14s and 16s and 18s into the mix. Heck, I just might qualify as a Half Fanatic!
Oh, I am going to volunteer for the Marathon. Figure if I can't run it I might as well be out there handing out water or bananas. My sister, cousin and Mom will be volunteering too. So Mike W., Maurissa, Jim M., Brittany, Scott C., Tina, Nic C. and Cubicle Dad, look for me! I'll be watching out for you and cheering you on.
Ok time to get back to work. I promise I'll post on a more regular basis now (really Suzanne, I do :) ) Are you on Twitter? Follow me @jennrunschi.
Jenn
Oh...I'm sorry to hear that the marathon is out. That has to be disappointing. I recently had issues with my IT band. How are your shoes? New shoes fixed my IT right away. I was shocked. My shoes didn't even have 300 miles on them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the foam roller is my friend!
Good luck with your half marathons!!
Thanks Lisa - - Actually I forgot to mention that I did buy new shoes and ran the 30 minutes with them and felt good. Hopefully that will hold up. Yes, I need a foam roller; I've been icing but need the roller.
ReplyDeleteJ
Proud of you Jenn! I completely empathize with you and know it's a tough (and depressing) decision but if it helps at all know that you're making the right one. And you should try a foam roller...I call it "Dr Pain" but it does help. Maybe we will become half fanatics after all. Ha!
ReplyDeleteWhat a bummer about the IT. I came away with an IT issue right after my first Chicago in 2007.
ReplyDeleteIce the crap out of it and roll it a ton--a nice hard foam roller, not a wimpy one.
In the meantime, enjoy the halfs!
Suzanne and Marcia - - Thanks! Just ordered my foam roller from Amazon, should get it in a couple of days.
ReplyDeleteTotally sucks JF, but I've had IT band problems in the past and it is PAINFUL. If I actually run this thing, you will have to let me know where you're volunteering. Definitely feeling the aches and pains this training season. Something about running at 38 isn't quite the same as running at 27 :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about the IT band and about the marathon. I'm in the same boat but with a stupid tendon/muscle issue that has me in a cast today. :(
ReplyDeleteToo funny I caught you in my pics from the race though!