The winner just crossed the finish line in the Metro PCS Dallas Marathon, formerly the White Rock Marathon. This is always one of my favorite Sunday mornings of the year. I love getting up and watching the runners. Several years ago as I watched, I was inspired to start running myself so that I could run the 1/2 marathon the following year instead of sitting on my couch watching other people be fit.
It nearly worked. I joined TNT and began training. I went to White Rock Lake every Saturday morning to run with the TNT group. I loved my coach. She was very supportive and was centered on getting me ready for my 1/2 marathon. Then on the Saturday I was supposed to run 9 miles in late September I was unable to make it to White Rock due to another commitment. So, on Sunday I sat out to do my 9 mile run on the bike/pedestrian trail near my house. I made it about 7 miles before I started to experience pain in my right knee. By 7-1/2 miles, I was reduced to walking and although I finished the total 9 miles the last mile and a half were done walking and nearly in tears because of the pain.
The following week, I ran on the days I was supposed to, but with horrible pain and usually finishing walking since the pain was just too great. On Saturday, I made my way to White Rock and ran with my coach. We talked about my pain as my coach told me to talk to the chiropractor who came out with us on Saturday mornings as soon as we were finished and have him look at my knee. She ran along side of me as we ran up our final hill and then walked with me to the chiropractors make shift exam room near the picnic tables.
Dr. Doyle looked at my knee and basically told me that I needed to see a doctor in a real examining room later in the week. That day, I went to the state fair with my mom, sister-in-law and others and just toughed it out through the pain. The following week, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture and a sprained MCL and told that I was done running for the next few months. I cried knowing that I wasn't going to be able to do my 1/2 marathon that year after all of those early Saturday mornings and that if I didn't do it then I might never be able to. I haven't run since. That was two years ago. Even with the 4 months of treatments that I went through, I have continued to experience pain significant enough following exercise that I am afraid to try running again. It makes me mad because when I ran, I LOVED it!
Now this morning, I watch the marathon runners crossing the finish line and I desperately want to try it again. I still don't think that I would be capable of running it. Quite frankly right now, I don't think I could walk it. But it sure makes me want to get outside and do something. And that's the point, right? Maybe we aren't all marathoners or even 5K runners, but we can all do something. In the last two years I have gained weight - a lot of it as I have sat on my couch. So, my work will be cut out for me. But here I go, trying once again to get motivated to get fit. There is a very good chance that in 6 months you will be reading again about how I have been motivated to get off of the couch. But I figure if I keep writing about it in a forum where someone else can read it, I stand a better chance of following through. After all, lying to myself is easy. Lying to all of you is much more difficult.
Have a good week!
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