I’ve been running for a number of years now. In past years I’ve run a lot of 5k’s and just recently added 10k’s to the typical rotation. Previously when asked about participating in a marathon I would have scoffed at the idea believing the distance too great, and the goal too silly — I mean who really wants to run 26.2 miles anyway?
Recently I started to get this itch. Hard to explain really. After I added 10k’s to the race rotation it got me to thinking that I could do more. My idea was that I’d train for and run a 1/2 marathon this year in the Fall, then next year I’d compete in a marathon. So I started training for a 1/2 marathon that I’d found in Portland. I was adding on mileage and with a respectable time — nothing medal worthy, but certainly not at the end of the pack. I was getting pretty pumped. Unfortunately, the race I’d targeted occured on a weekend that I was traveling for business. So I skipped that race. There were others that were w/in driving distance, but I just couldn’t bring myself to sign up for some reason. Those races weren’t the race I’d planed on running and therefore couldn’t.
I continued to train, and promptly screwed up my foot. Nothing really serious in the grand scheme, but really painful while in the midst of it. The doctor I went to see wasn’t terribly helpful so when I say I had Plantar Fasciitis it is a self diagnosis. From all the research I’d found on the Internet, I matched most of the symptoms. I put my dream on hold for a while and focused on my core. Months passed since my foot had first began to hurt. Now it’s OK, I just need to remember to warm it up before a run, and stretch it afterwards. As long as I do that it seems to be OK.
Back to the marathon dream. I’d set my sights on the Chicago Marathon in 2009. I found a training plan that has me starting in June. In the mean time I’m working on keeping my fitness through the Winter and adding miles to my long runs on the weekends. As it gets closer I’ll post more of my experiences. Wish me luck!