Monday, November 16, 2009

A visit to the podiatrist

Because I am 50, I went to the podiatrist today.

Ok, not really. I went to the podiatrist because I've still been having some ankle pain from the Nike marathon. I finally scheduled an appointment last week because I was TERRIFIED of being sidelined now that I signed up to do another marathon.

Because I am a hypochondriac, there probably was no real reason for worry.

That statement is more true than the first one I made, but actually I think it was a good thing that I went. The podiatrist I randomly selected from Google Maps turned out to be a runner, which is always good in my book. I like it when someone in their profession can actually have some insight in the activities of their patients. (However, that is not the sort of thing I discuss in great detail with my gynecologist, although I suppose you could)

Basically, I have strained my Peroneus, which is a big muscle in my ankle. If I had done too much after the marathon, I could have seriously screwed it up, but luckily I am a cautious, somewhat sane individual (with somewhat sane-er friends who forbid me from running) and I did not do that.

The solution?

Stretching.

Oh, the irony...

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

4 months to marathon?

HAHAHAHA! I have signed up for my next marathon!!! Gales of laughter are hiding my nerves. I signed up for the Nation’s Marathon on March 20, 2010. This will definitely give me an incentive to run throughout winter and focus on bringing my time down. My goal is to finish this one in 4 hours or less. Then the next one I’ll cut off the next 20 minutes and qualify for Boston. If all goes accordingly.

What a thrill it is to sign up for a marathon. There’s the initial hesitation – you might go to the site several times, enter your name and contact info, and then when it comes to payment, you chicken out. You might tell people that you’re thinking of it and then laugh, to try to gauge their reaction to your insane idea. Or you might secretly hide it so that you don’t have to hear THEIR laughter. Then when you actually register, there’s a flood of relief followed by imminent panic. Panic then succumbs to reason – you can do this. It’s just 26.2 miles. Then reason dies an instant death to JOY! Another marathon! HUZZAH!

Well…perhaps you were with me until the joy part.

Anyway…the main point here is that next year I will be doing multiple marathons and now I’m well on my way. I will not let cold weather or lack of training time or swollen ankles or black toenails or the swine flu or the bird flu or anything else stand in my way to Boston!