It Is What It Is

On October 26, 2021, I received an email from the Bank of America Chicago Marathon to claim my 2021 cancelled entry for the 2022 race. I had applied way back in 2019 and deferred. Then due to covid, the race was cancelled. Without much thought into whether I could run the 2022 race, I immediately claimed my guaranteed entry which was approved 2 days later.

I was pretty excited but at the same time I knew it was a long shot as I have mentioned several times in multiple blog posts since. I wasn’t even able to run at the time that I claimed this entry. But, the marathon was a year away and I wanted to see if I could even get back to running. Having a goal keeps me focused. However, I have not been able to run consistently since 2017 other than 2 or 3 miles before knee pain from bilateral osteoarthritis would set in.

And how would signing up for a race change any of that? Great question, right? Well, to begin with, strength training would have to be a part of the plan as well as cross-training. I started with easy mobility and strengthening exercises. Being that it was winter, I would also go on short cross-country classical skiing outings and once I got my fat tire bike, I added that into the mix. Eventually, I added walking which advanced to walk/run and then to full on running 2-3 miles. This took months and was a very slow process. I was able to slowly build up my base mileage and quite frankly, it was exciting just to be running at all.

I continued with the build-up phase right up to the week that marathon training was suppose to start. And then I strained a calf muscle (details here) that took me out of running for 2.5 weeks. At the time, I thought rationalized that I have been running for almost six months, so these couple of weeks shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Except that now, instead of an 18-week program, I am down to 16 weeks. And that might have been okay if I had been running 25-30 miles or more a week. But, I was only up to 15! Instead, I should have backed off of the training and return to running slowly. Here is a good article about when to continue your marathon training after an injury and when to back off.

Instead of backing off the mileage for that return to running week, I continued the training as it was scheduled. And I did okay until another setback occurred. While vacationing in Idaho in August, I ended up with covid (details) and was out of running for another 4 days which doesn’t seem that bad but the fatigue and cough from having covid really slowed me down quite a bit. I had missed a major long run and speed work that week as well. But, the following week was a down week so I picked up from there and did okay. Not great. Just okay. A 12.5 mile long run wiped me out and the following week another 15.5 mile run became difficult to finish but I did it.

And then another set back. My left calf was tightening up on the run which led to achilles tendon pain. I attempted a couple of runs to test it but that only caused more pain. So more shockwave therapy and added strengthening exercises by my PT. I will admit that while on vacation and during covid I did neglect the strengthening exercises. My PT has been very encouraging and she believes that I can still do this race which is now only 6 weeks away.

And I probably could do it. I do have the perseverance and mental fortitude to get through a tough race as long as I am not severely injured or anything. But, I have ran this race to “just finish” before (2017) and it wasn’t fun. I started feeling the effects of under training at mile 15. I don’t want to just get through another marathon. I want to be well trained and at least enjoy the race as much as I can. I also want to break 4 hours and 15 minutes. There is no way that I could do that at this point. Sonja put it perfectly, “If you know you can’t run the race that you want to run, why do it”. That is way different from being well trained at the start and due to other factors- heat, humidity, fueling, and so many other things- the goals are not met. Being that I already know that I am not in the best physical shape to run a good race, and the fact that I could end up injured or not being able to run again for who knows how long is not worth it to me. So, I am withdrawing from the Chicago Marathon.

But, I have a lot that I am so thankful for. I have been running 4-5 days per week! And without knee pain. I was able to run a long run of 15.5 miles! That is quite the accomplishment when the Orthopedic physicians were telling me to take up swimming because I wouldn’t be able to run. And I am also grateful for companies like Altra that design shoes that work with your natural body mechanics. That has made a huge difference in my being able to run with knee osteoarthritis. Plus, knowing from the beginning that the Chicago Marathon was a long shot, I had a back-up plan. I am not giving up on my dream to one day run Boston. Details to come. For now, I am just hoping to get back to running this week.

Happy Running