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Hello everyone,

This is my last blog as a Marathon Mom.  While I feel bad that I can’t run the New Jersey Marathon, I realize that injuries can happen –  and have happened — to many, many people.  They are a part of life.  I have no regrets about anything, and absolutely loved everything about training for this marathon.

I hope I have inspired you to incorporate fitness into your life.  The benefits of regular exercise — no matter at what sport  –  last a lifetime.

I would like to thank everyone who has followed this blog throughout all these months.

I would also like to thank my husband Irving, who has made it possible for me to train.  He has taken our children to countless practices, games, events, and other activities that I have been unable to attend.  He has been a great source of support as well.

Although I don’t know when or where my first marathon will be, I can assure you there will be one.  Or more.

I would love to hear feedback about this blog.  Please send me an email at SandraIFox@aol.com.

And, one more thing…did I mention that a little while ago, I tried to run.  My leg felt better than it has been and I was able to run pain-free for a little bit.

Just a tiny, tiny bit.

Happy running! 

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These were the first words Kathy said to me the moment I told her I couldn’t run in this marathon.  This is exactly what I’m planning to do (and what will greatly improve my mood these days) — set my sights on another marathon.

The good part about this time of year is it’s prime marathon season, so there are plenty of marathons taking place everywhere for the next few months and after.

While I’m planning this however, my priority is for my calf to get better. This may take a few days, a few weeks, or longer. Whenever it does get better, though, I won’t be able to automatically jump right into another marathon since I will have already lost some fitness by that time. Although I’m being very diligent about cross-training, it’s not the same as running, and certainly not the same as training for a marathon. So, it would then take me some more time to get back into the condition I had previously been in right before I got injured.

According to an article in “Runner’s World” when coming back from an injury, “runner and sports podiatrist Stephen Pribut, D.P.M., warns runners to beware the “terrible toos”—doing too much, too soon, too fast. This is the number one cause of self-inflicted running injuries. The body needs time to adapt from training changes…If you rush that process, you could break down rather than build up. If you missed some training time, don’t accelerate the pace and distance of your remaining workouts in an effort to ‘catch up.’ Instead, adjust your goals as needed.”

With all that being said, as I sit by my computer right now, perhaps I will do a search for a June Marathon….

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On Sunday, I went to a local 5K race. Some runners were wearing race numbers. Some were wearing jeans. I was one of the runners wearing jeans.

Yes, I am now officially injured. Perhaps I’ve been in denial about this for awhile.

At some point over the course of my training, I crossed the line from being healthy to being injured. As I reflect back upon exactly when this happened to me, I think it was earlier than later. All the signs were there — the stiffness and the pain. I just refused to listen to my body and acknowledge them. I wanted so badly to run this marathon and wouldn’t admit to myself that I now belong to that group of runners no runner wants to be part of, the group I had blogged about several months ago — “the injured ones.”

So, I can’t run this marathon.

When many of the non-runners around me learn how many people get injured from running, they often question why anyone would want to participate in this sport.  Since I have become injured myself, they’re even more curious about this and the questions have increased.  This is why now more than ever before, I’m finding great comfort in being in the company of other runners since I feel they alone can fully understand me and why I still and always will love running.

While I can’t run this marathon, I still plan to come to it and cheer and support my friends–Kathy, Tara, Natalie, and Alice.  They have trained for a long time and I am very excited for them.

If you should see me at the finish line at the New Jersey Marathon, I won’t be one of the runners wearing a race number. Instead, I’ll probably be one of the runners wearing jeans. That’s okay though, because I’m still a runner — and I’ll be back.

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I have a small tear in my calf. Technically, the tear is in the “gastrocnemius.” This is the largest of the muscles in the lower leg and is loaded repetitively and heavily during running sports.

Based upon what my doctor said and from what I’ve been reading, a calf tear can result from not warming up prior to running.  I do make sure to stretch after running.  Yet, unless I’m running with Kathy, I never warm up before running.  I often run slower for the first mile or so, but this is not considered a warm up. Most of the time when I’m running outside or on the treadmill, I simply just begin running. From now on, I will make sure to do the warm up exercises my doctor told me about.

Treatment for a torn calf involves the RICE method, which is Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

So, you all want to know the million dollar question, which is will I be able to run the marathon?

The answer is…..I don’t know yet. I am still injured at the moment and not running at all. However, I am cross training, which is something I can do without any pain. I am supposed to run a little bit this weekend and early next week, and based upon how that goes (if I can run pain-free), it will determine if I have a good chance of running the marathon pain free.

The way I look at the situation is this:

I have two options:

A) Sit around feeling sorry for myself and be envious of all the people I see out there who are running and racing.

Or

B) Do everything my doctor advises—all exercises, cross-training, stretches, supplements, and getting plenty of rest–to the best of my ability, in order to increase my chances of being able to run this marathon that I’ve been training for since January.

I choose B.   Wouldn’t you?

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It’s Tuesday morning as I write this, and at this moment, I am injured.

I intended to run 16 miles the other day.  I barely got started when I had to stop.  I felt a lot of pain in my lower right calf.   This is not the leg that bothered me last week.  That leg got better!

Since that time, I have not run.  I have only cross-trained–taking my weight class and using the stationary bike at the gym.  Tapering is one thing, but I’m not running at all!  This is very, very frustrating.

I realize many runners get injured.  There are runners in my running group who are injured, as well as famous runners who I hear about.  I know of some who showed up to a marathon, began running, and had to drop out due to injuries.

I’m scheduled to see a doctor about my leg today so by the time you read this, I will already know what he said.   I will give an update on Friday.

Whatever happens, I have no regrets about training for this marathon and can always put my training to good use for other, smaller races such as half marathons.   Also, I would definitely consider re-training in the future for another full marathon.  I will still go to the New Jersey Marathon to cheer for my friends.

If something unexpected happens to you with regard to your own training, don’t let it get to you.  Here are some ways you can cope with this:

a-Immerse yourself in other activities that you still can do, such as other kinds of exercise.

b-Focus on getting other priorities and tasks accomplished in your life, such as those that are work- or family-related.

c-Do your homework!  Learn as much as you can about your injury, how you think you got it, and if there is something you should have done differently that could have prevented it.

d-Don’t stress!  (Especially while doing letter “c!)”  You can’t turn back the clock, you can only go forward.  Simply be thankful for everything else you have in your life, all the special people in it, and count your blessings!

There, just by writing this, I have cheered myself up!

Tune into Friday’s blog to see if Marathon Mom can still be a Marathon Mom on May 5th!

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7 miles, 8 miles, 5 miles, 12 miles

I’m looking at my training schedule for this week and I’m noticing how much less mileage I’ll be running. Next week—the final week before the marathon, the mileage goes down even more.

This is called tapering, which is cutting back on your training so your body can rebuild to peak strength.

For awhile now, I knew the tapering period was coming. I guess I just didn’t realize how fast it would actually get here. I’ve been warned about it from my running friends who have been through it. I’ve heard this period will make me anxious and antsy since I’ve become used to very long runs and high mileage weeks for so many months already.

Yet, from everyone I’ve spoken to and from everything I’ve read on this topic, tapering is an essential part of marathon training.

According to an article by Olympic marathoner and exercise physiologist Pete Pfitzinger, tapering is the one time during our marathon training when working harder is counterproductive to performance.  “Despite the benefits, tapering is the most overlooked phase of marathon preparation. Tapering allows your muscles to repair the micro-damage of intervals, your energy systems to store up glycogen, your body to overcome the chronic dehydration of hard training, and that last bit of tendonitis in your knee or ankle or hip to finally go away.

To taper effectively for a marathon takes about 3 weeks, but our self-confidence is fragile. Our egos require the positive reinforcement of a hard workout every few days. If we take a few days, let alone 3 weeks easy, we go through withdrawal. Worse yet, we will turn to mush, and all those weeks and months of hard work will be wasted!

Despair not. With a well-planned taper, you can cut back the volume of your running and still work hard enough to stay in peak condition and get your training fix.”

I initially planned to make up for my reduced mileage during this period by increasing the intensity of  my cross training at the gym. However, I’ve learned that by doing this I could put myself at risk of injury, which is the last thing I want to do at this time.

So, I will consider tapering as yet another challenge in my marathon training—only this time, a mental one.

My busy writing career and four children who have begun their spring sports season—running, baseball, and soccer—should provide me with enough distraction to get myself through this stage.

Or will it?

Stay tuned!

Happy running! 

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Marathon day is coming up real soon and based upon my recent race results, I’m feeling ever more positive about how I’ll do on the big day. Perhaps I don’t need to run with a pacing group, as I had originally planned. Perhaps the pacer will slow me down. After all,

I could go the distance, I could run the mile.  I could walk straight through hell with a smile.

I could be the hero, I could get the gold, breaking all the records that thought never could be broke.

When I’m standing in the hall of fame.

It was Kathy who set me back down to reality. “What if you go out too fast? You should definitely use the pacing group, at least for the beginning of the race,” she said. “In the later miles, you can see how you’re feeling and based upon that, decide if you want to break off from the group and continue on your own.”

And, of course, she’s right.

According to articles in Runner’s World Magazine, there are great benefits to running with a pacing group (which is free, by the way):

1-The pace leaders (who are chosen because of their years of running many marathons) run a steady pace and keep track of that pace so the group can achieve their goal of finishing the marathon at a particular time. If the pace feels too slow in the beginning of the race that’s normal. One of the biggest mistakes marathoners make is starting out too fast and then hitting the wall in the later portions of the race.

2-The pace team can provide fun and excitement for runners. Having a group of runners next to you can pull you through dark patches and give you motivation you can’t give yourself. Part cheerleader, part psychiatrist, a pacer spends many hours during the race encouraging, cajoling, and reassuring scores and sometimes hundreds of relative strangers to their dream finish line.

One concern I had is whether the pacing leader stops at water stations, since for the past few races I’ve been stopping at them.  According to what I’ve read, most will stop or slow down and will tell the group at the beginning of the race their plans about this.

Okay, I’m sold! I’ll definitely run the marathon with a pacing group and promise not to change my mind again!……but for exactly how many miles should I stay with the group? Maybe I’ll feel so great at mile 20 that I can run ahead and pass everyone. I can be a champion….Ooops! There I go again! I will just have to take it one “step” at a time and see what the day brings.

Happy running!

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On Monday night I went to bed and dreamed I was running through a huge explosion with blood everywhere.  I was relieved to wake up from my dream.