Well that was not the race I was expecting. I haven't been updating well, I actually did about 85% of the training for this marathon. I ran 4 times a week, a huge feat for a full time working momma of 2 and a wife of a busy construction working musician. We don't have time for me to be gone for hours at a time running, but we make it happen. I did most of my long runs, early on I had decided on Hal Higdon's novice plan I started with II but ended up switching to I. The group that I run with on Saturdays is amazing, a bit faster than I am so its hard sometimes to get the long runs in... Just because I don't like to be out running alone.
Now about this training cycle, about 2 months in I started having some issues with what I assume is plantar fasciitis. I started waking up with some pretty good pain when I would get out of bed. It would always go away by the time I got to work and when I ran it never bothered me. My first 18 miler was amazing, I felt great, could've gone another couple of miles even. Of course the morning after more pain...the next weekend was a half and it was awful. I just didn't want to race. It made it hard to even do the 13.1 because I just didn't want to be there. Finished and went back to training. The following weekend was to be my one and only 20 miler. Started out feeling pretty amazing actually, somewhere around mile 13 I started feeling that Plantar pain...WHILE I WAS RUNNING :(
I finished out 18 miles that day and iced and elevated for the entirety of tapering, I didn't stop running though. I still had two longish runs left and several short runs during the week.
Race day...
I was feeling actually pretty good going into race day, even though I had mentioned to a person or two that I wasn't sure that I felt ready earlier that week. I really felt great, I got plenty of rest and hydrated like a good girl. We all met early that morning gathered our things and headed for the start line. I ended up running the first few miles with Stephanie, my sister, she was running the half. She kept asking if we were going to fast, but I honestly felt so good and didn't feel too fast at all. I had a tiny bit of discomfort for maybe a half a mile at the beginning in my heels but it quickly dissipated and I really had a good feeling about the end result. I had my Legend Compression Sleeves on and my legs were feeling strong and not tired at all. If you want to grab a pair at a discount let me know I will get you a special discount code!
At the halfway point I still felt good and was on track for a PR race, which I wasn't counting on. I was hydrating at every water stop as it was getting warmer, it was supposed to hit mid 60's in November...strange for Indiana. Somewhere between mile 14-15 I started feeling like knives were being stuck into my heels at every step. There were tears, lots of them, several other marathoners stopped to see what was happening, whether I was okay, did I need a medic? I'm tearing up as I remember the feeling. It was so painful, it didn't hurt worse at this time if I was running or walking so I started doing both, about a mile at a very slow for me run and then a minute or two of walking. I did that until about mile 19 and then called my sister and told her to find me I was done. She said no...Then she had our other sister text me and tell me to keep going.
Now I was doing more like 3 minutes run/2 min walk... a few minutes later she text me and said she and my husband were at mile 21.5, I got there and cried again... They asked what I wanted to do, by now my heels were on fire and still running and walking hurt, I decided to go on if she came with me. She's a trooper so she did. We walked most of those last 4 miles with little short bouts of running in there. By now it was hurting work and I was trying to keep the weight off of my heels so the balls of my feet were getting tired and sore.
Somewhere around mile 24 the rest of the group text Steph and asked if she knew where I was, she said she was with me, they were waiting on me at the finish... more tears. Molly and Brittany met us with about .4 to go, I was running, it was so painful, but since it even hurt to walk I figured I should just get this over with. They ran me in that last bit we turned the corner and I heard my husband yell that I could do it. I am so thankful for the friendships we have foraged over the past two years and that these friends came and encouraged me over the finish. I finished 23 minutes slower than my first marathon, but I FINISHED and that is no small feat.
I will do another one, I will conquer the Marathon the way that I want to.
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