The 26.2 That Broke Me
I am a marathoner!!
…but it wasn’t how I thought it would go.
I went into race weekend with what I thought was a hip flexor issue. The week before the race, I saw my physician and a specialist but knew no matter what was said, I’d run this marathon. I took two weeks off from running, stopped cycling and swimming, and walked to the starting line Sunday morning.
The race started GREAT!
Paces looks good for my sub-4 goal. Joe and my family ran alongside me at mile 5. It was wonderful to run again.
Mile 9 the pain started.
Mile 17 the tears.
Mile 18 my hip was done.
From mile 20 to 22 I was shuffling my feet trying to run. Counting the miles - in total survival mode. My stride was gone and Joe was meeting me to wipe the tears.
Mile 23 to 26.2 I was walking, only able to convince myself to run 10 seconds at a time. Other runners and spectators were cheering me on stating “cramps will pass, don’t give up!” But I’ve never had to will my body so hard to do something as much as run those 10 breathless seconds.
From the 800 meter sign to the 600 meter sign I laughed through my clenching fists and rhythmic breathing thinking “that couldn’t have only been 200 meters”.
I crossed the finish line, limped to Joe, sat down and cried. Frustration, pain, disappointment, etc.
On Monday we learned I’d run the Dallas Marathon with a stress fracture in my hip. What I thought was a muscle tearing was actually a bone. Had I known I was running on a stress fracture I WOULD NOT have continued to race.
I do not have a high pain tolerance. But I am very stubborn.
NOW, I work and eat from bed and limp around on crutches. The hip will heal but that race will definitely be a core memory.
Next year I’ll train smarter, add more recovery time, and thanks to my doctor, increase my Calcium and Vitamin D.
So… as Joe lovingly put it… now I’ve set the bar extremely high for what I can endure AND I’m gonna have one hell of a PR for my second marathon!
