Waiting for Stuff to Heal

Happy New Year to all!!  So, my first New Year's resolution is to give stuff time to heal.  Like all resolutions, this one may be tough to keep.

The run up to a marathon is always a bit of a tight rope walk.  Various things hurt, but not enough to make you stop training, or racing.  We stretch.  We cross train.  We run through it. We explain to ourselves that even though it hurts a bit, it's not affecting our form.

This Fall was definitely that way for me.  My left hip and hamstring were tight for much of October.  I also rolled my right ankle in early October, but ran through it.  Every morning I woke up, my plantar fasci announced their presence.  Still, I was running better than ever. I had two of the best races, and many of the best runs of my life.  So, who's complaining?  After all, there was always December for all those things to heal.

Here's the paradox.  Slowing down just seems to make everything hurt more.  It's now January, and I'm still not getting full extension with my left leg.  My right ankle is super stiff, and I now seem to have some traditional Achilles tendonitis.  I haven't run more than 5 miles in weeks.  I've jogged to the gym and gotten on the bike and/or swum in the pool.  Everything should be getting better right?  Well, not so fast, anyway.

I'm itching to start ramping it up again for Rome, and there are two voices in my head.  One says, "just do it! The injuries will take care of themselves regardless."  The other says, "Give it another week or two, your base fitness is good, so there will still be time to get ready for Rome."  Yesterday and today, I just swam.  Tomorrow I'll hit the bike.  Maybe Thursday I'll give the legs another tentative test.