Today’s post isn’t a recipe or about food. It’s about stubbornness ambition.
Besides cooking, my other favorite pastime would without question be singing loudly at my television during The Sing Off. Oh, and I also like running. Like, really like running. So much so that I signed up for a marathon in October.
I originally had planned to run the Providence Marathon in May. But the stars just aligned for me to run the National Marathon in Washington DC. Two other Providence bloggers, Becky and Lauren, also plan to run it so we can share long training runs. It’s also 3 days before my birthday which would let me fulfill a dream of running a marathon before I’m twenty something. Everything was going so smooth.…
But, as with all things in life, there’s been a catch.
A month ago, I started feeling pain in my shin. I tried ignoring it, hoping it would go away, and even ran twice on it. I couldn’t ignore it when it hurt to walk, so I stopped running completely but I still hobbled around the kitchen and even kept walking the 2.5 mile round trip to Whole Foods. After a few weeks, I could walk and use the elliptical machine without any pain. But a month out and I still couldn’t run.
So I saw my doctor, who just happens to be a sports doctor, too. He looked at it for 5 minutes at most and knew exactly what I had: Medial tibial stress syndrome and peroneal tendon strain. Like everything else in medicine, its bark is worse than its bite. He told me to rest while I’m at home, ice and stretch daily. Within 2 weeks I can probably start fast walking and running soon after that.
So what am I doing now?(yes, I know I have a slight obsession with bright orange) I’m working a way to squeeze marathon training into 8 weeks. I can hear my grandmother’s voice in the back of my head: “Your grandfather was a stubborn Pollack” and so am I. I’m determined to cross that finish line after 26.2 miles of strain and effort on March 26th. I’ll know if I have to say nay, but for right now I remain optimistic. I’m hoping their won’t be a “wannabe” in my title much longer.
I wish you a speedy recovery, Evan! Nothing is worse for a runner than being injured. Even if you need to drop down to the half, I’m pretty sure the weekend of March 26 will be full of all kinds of awesomeness 🙂
Marathon training in 8 weeks?! Yikes! Sounds scary, but if anyone can do it,you can!
I can feel your pain literally. I have on and off shin pain, and it used to be so bad that it felt like a snake was shocking my bones when I would run on it. It eventually did go away, and I use KT Tape and Zensah shin sleeves now. But my pain has moved to my outer knee and is benching me for the moment after my first half marathon! I understand your frustration and probably depression, but you’ll run that race! And you have a great base of running already, you aren’t starting from scratch!
It’s so NICE to see “Providence bloggers.” Yay! Add me back to that list, please 🙂
I love your new blog Evan! (I realize it’s not that “new”, just new to someone who has been on a hiatus for 9 months) Good luck on the training. I was injured in the beginning of the year and it’s taken me this long to get back to running but I’m soooo glad I can do it again.
I have full faith in you getting yourself across the finish line! The only thing I’d say is to just make finishing your goal. Don’t worry about the time. Next time when you have a healed body and more time to train you can focus on time goals!
Bummer! Running injuries suck as I well know…you are very smart to take time off. You can train for a marathon in 8 weeks if you want to :)! Hoping for a speedy recovery for you and in the mean time hopefully you can enjoy some other things you enjoy :)!
Evan, soooo sorry for your setback! I am of polish and russian heritage so the expression stubborn pollack is not lost on me!
Medial tibial stress syndrome = i have had it. Shin splints, stress fractures, something called compartment syndrome (which the diagnostic test for this was about worse than childbirth but that’s another story)…I have had tons of shin and leg injuries, a couple knee surgeries, broken feet…I was a total jock in h.s. and it came with the territory but it still sucks that you are dealing with this.
Here’s to a speedy recovery!!!! and running that race for you!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Wow! 8 weeks of marathon training. I know I can’t do that since I’m better in swimming than running. Good luck to you!
I’m a stubborn pollack too, and you can squeeze it in with your sound running base already established! I managed to do a late Nov marathon training only halfway through september! I even dealt with some knee issues during early November, which totally cleared up by race week. Good luck and keep me posted! I’m so psyched for you 🙂
You are crossing that finish line. Even if I have to stick a brownie in front of your face and make you chase me.
Actually you are on your own, I can’t run that fast.
I also am slowly running again after 2 (big) injuries… AND I got the best of my Grandpa Z – his stubborn ways and sticktoitiveness. 😉
you’ll be fine! 😀
Good luck! Hope your injuries heal. You will do awesome!
Woo! Good luck, that is freaking awesome!
I hope everything heals up quickly! Injuries are never fun but you seem to have a great attitude about it. Congrats on signing up for the marathon – looking forward to hearing about your training.
I’m sorry you’re still struggling with shin pain. I know how frustrating that can be!! 🙁 I am wishing you a speedy recovery from here on out.
If it’s any consolation, I had the exact same problem when training for my first marathon, although it happened a couple weeks into training. And because I was stubborn (maybe stupidly so) I decided to train anyway, even though I was sidelined for a long time. I spent many long boring hours in the gym cross-training for an entire month of marathon training, and then had about 4 weeks after that to get running again before the big day. While I may have done BETTER if I had been able to run (and probably enjoyed training more), I was able to finish! Clearly not the way anyone really wants to train for a marathon, but I have faith that you’ll be able to do it 🙂
ohh…i’m so sorry to hear about the shin! but be very careful training for a marathon that fast, especially since you’ already have an injury! i don’t want to see you getting worse!
Yay, Evan!!!! That is SOOOO exciting that you are signed up for a marathon, I’m so psyched for you. And shin splints are super manageable so I have no doubt that you will be up and running in no time! 🙂
Wish you a fast recovery, I was just thinking the other day that I miss some of the running talk on this blog. Guess it makes sense with the injury.
oohhh i think this is a fabulous goal! i hope your shin splints get better (those are the WORST!) and can’t wait to see you cross that finish line victoriously!!!