Oh, come ON!!!

Not an eloquent title, I know, but here's what happened today. I'm running along, reflecting on how nice it is that I feel no pain in my shins at all, and saying to myself that although I have occasional pain in my foot it is definitely manageable. Then I run by some baseball diamonds, and THWAP! A softball hits me in the calf.

Really, what else is there to say except, "Oh, come ON!"

I did have to stop and rub it out a little, but thankfully it seems to have left no lingering damage.

Rogue softballs aside, the run did not go like I planned. I struggled to make it to 4 miles, then had to take a walk break. I think the heat had a lot to do with this, as I was dumb enough to not start running until almost 10am. But still, it was a huge shake to my confidence, and as I walked I thought to myself that I just could NOT let my last long run before the race be one that shakes my confidence. If I was going to cross that start line next week, I needed to feel like I was going to cross the finish line, too.

So, I walked a half mile and then started running again. I made it another four miles, then walked another half mile. I was then at the 9-mile mark, where I had planned to stop. But again. I needed to know I could do the race. So I started to run again.

I ran another 2 and half miles, then walked another half, and then ran the last mile to take me to 13.1. (My first 4 miles were really more like 4.1, maybe even 4.25.)

I finished. I had to walk 1.5 of the 13.1, but I finished, and well below the 3.5 hour time limit of the race. Even with the walking, 13.1 miles took me 2:42:49.

It took me a while to recover, but I feel pretty good now. I have no pain at all in my shins or hips. At the moment my foot is aching a little but overall does not seem any worse off than yesterday. It actually feels better now than it did last night, though that may be because I have been off my feet for the better part of the afternoon and evening. Still, it didn't hurt to walk home after that run, and it didn't hurt to walk to the grocery store and back a few hours later. It hurts on occasion when I run, but not consistently, and the pain doesn't crescendo. I have thought hard about this, and I really believe it will be ok for me to run next weekend.

So, that's what I'm going to do. Rest this week, doing only a few baby runs, wear supportive shoes, and go for it. I can do this. The forces of the universe seem to be conspiring against me lately. But it's like my friend Shannon said: "Those forces of the universe don't know who they are dealing with." 8 days til race day. No stopping me now.

I must say that even though the total distance I ran is less than I did last week, and it wasn't even consecutive, I am more proud of what I accomplished today than of any other running feat I have managed. I was really struggling today. But I finished anyway. I did what I had to do to finish. And I did it sensibly and safely. Good for me.

Bring it, universe. I'm ready.