Less Running, More Healing

What a bad few weeks it turned out to be, but that just means it gets better from here, right?  Not only did I not finish my marathon and instead hurt my heel, I got sick.  The kind of sick I hate because it meant I had to go to the doctor.  I dread that so much but forced myself anyway and it's a good thing I did!  Turns out the massive headache I've been fighting for what seems like forever was because my sinuses were infected.  And that it turn caused a bad throat infection.  And it's probably been like that for awhile.  I've been having the headaches for a month, and first had a throat issue over Easter when I lost my voice so now my sucky runs are making a bit more sense to me.  I was running on empty.  :(  But on the bright side, I'm headed into a busy running season with meds and I am feeling so much better than I have in a long time!  Can't change the past but I can look forward to the future, right?

So, these days off haven't been bad at all.  I did a short run (4.5 miles) on Saturday on my favorite trails and the ankle/heel felt good but then by Monday I was feeling so stiff it was obviously still healing.  I am thinking of running with the local trail running group run tomorrow evening, so wish me luck.  I will take it easy and not push myself but I do want to keep out there.  We've got our super long bike ride coming up this weekend and then it's back to the running.  We've got several runs planned over the summer and I'm looking forward to all of them!!  But the biking has been something I've been loving lately.  Troy and I went out for a ride last week and it was wonderful.  I felt so comfortable on my bike and I know he appreciates that change.  I was a stressed out road crosser last year who was scared of most cars coming up behind me.  Going out with the group ride has really helped me to find that comfort level.  I even led our ride most of the time which was actually fun.  Well, more fun that pedaling hard all the time trying to keep pace with the crazy hubby. 

So, if running needs to take a back seat to biking for awhile, I'm okay with that!  Sometimes goals just become a bigger part of our life than we realize, and we lose sight of why we're out there in the first place.  I know that building up that marathon for all those cold months did some great things for me, like pushing me to get out there and run when it was so cold my water bottles froze but I had a great time, or sending me out in the ankle deep snow to run when the scenery was breathtaking and the air was crisp and clean, or even making sure I got out there to enjoy the warmth of a unseasonably high temp late winter day.  Every moment like that makes me appreciate that I had a plan that kept me accountable and, most importantly, kept me running.  I know I would have run through a lot of those times anyway but "the plan" was sometimes the one thing that pushed me to change, lace up the shoes and get the heck out there!  Enjoying our holiday runs like the 12 miles of Christmas in the dark past all the glowing lights, or the 12 mile New Years Day run with friends to ring in 2012 all matched with our plan and I wouldn't have given up either of those runs for anything!  Memories to carry forever.  So, I'll forget someday that my name isn't on the marathon finishers from 4/28/12 but I know this...

I am still a runner.  Through injuries, illnesses, bad weather, good weather, family stress, work stress, holidays, time changes...through everything I will find a way to run.  And it doesn't matter to me if I run on single track trails, wide fire roads, dirt paths, paved roads, rocky roads, or anything and everything in between because no matter what, as long as my feet are moving, I'm happiest.  And finish or not, those facts still remain.  So, it's time to forgive myself this missed goal (for now!) and move on to the next thing on my list.