Jess Goes Running: Marathon Training, Up Until Now (Weeks 5-13)

Happy Friday!  Here I am, coming to you from the end of Week 13.  The marathon is just over a month away.  Somehow, we are here already!  At this point last year, I'd already gone on the run that ended training for me.  I'd already gotten the diagnosis and made the appointment for the ultrasound and knew I would be deferring; I knew I was done.

Well, it's the end of Week 13, and I'm still here--still fighting for this!  Still training for the marathon!  So that's something, and something huge at that!

I have sat down numerous times to write about this cycle of marathon training and every time I have come up short.  Last year, I was so excited about documenting the process, taking weekly progress pictures, pretty diligently writing about my runs and about training.  Even with my injury in July and the subsequent recovery from that, I pretty much stuck with it until I had to stop training.  Man, the ending of that was so hard for me, and so very emotional, but after going to PT for 3 weeks, my foot was feeling better and my heart knew I could try again in 2017.

I was hopeful, of course. I gotta be totally honest, though--nothing about this round of marathon training has gone the way I planned.   I have been sidelined by knee issues, migraines, long hours at work, flat tires that kept me up until 3 am, and of course, the recurrence of my foot injury: plantar fasciitis, that chronic partial tear in my left foot.  I started physical therapy in mid-July and I've been going twice a week ever since.  My current script goes through the end of September (we'll see if I actually get released then) which brings me almost to the end of marathon training.

Yes, even through all this, I am still training.  My PT is encouraging me to keep running and is helping me strengthen not only my feet, but my legs and my core.  This round of physical therapy has been incredibly enlightening and I am learning a lot about how my body operates.  I'm doing my best to get stronger both physically and mentally, as training for a marathon requires a lot of emotional strength and focus.  Especially when it feels like marathon training just hasn't gone as well as I would have liked, staying positive can be difficult; I am doing my best and trying to remain optimistic.

Even though it has been a ridiculous struggle, I have had a lot of great runs this training cycle.  I've gotten to explore some wonderful places and I've really felt strong and capable.  I've also had the chance to get out on my road bike for some great cross training on the lakefront.  I still have several weeks left, and I am determined to keep on with training.  I know it will require a lot of work, but I can't just give up on this now.  I have plenty of time!  I just need to remind myself of why I enjoy running, the reasons that made me fall in love with it.  As of now, I'll be crossing the starting line (and hopefully the finish line as well!) on October 8th, and I'll be taking it one day at a time to get there.