“Life is not about how many times you fall down. It’s about how many times you get back up.” Jaime Escalante
A couple of weeks ago I shared that I had begun half marathon training. I’ve completed 14 halfs, my last one being in April 2016. I’ve been looking forward to adding more finisher medals to my collection. Things were going well until two weeks ago when I had two separate but equally embarrassing accidents in one day.
First I was exiting the restroom at Target. I held the door open for someone who was entering. I thought she was about to push the door open but she didn’t grab it and the heavy, and I mean really heavy door closed on my forearm. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. Later that day, the heel of my shoe hit a divot in a parking lot and I tripped. It would have been better if I’d just let myself fall, but I was carrying my company-issued laptop and I didn’t want to risk damaging it. I somehow stayed on my feet but not without twisting my right knee: the knee that’s been through an ACL and meniscus repair as well as many sprains through the years. I was already behind in my training schedule before this recent two-week lay off. My March half marathon is not to be.
I also have an April half on my schedule and I’ve actually registered for it. I’m using a 16-week training plan and today is the beginning of that plan. I only have to do two miles per session this week, so that will be easy on my knee. I completed my first session this morning. It feels good to be on schedule.
My plan is to invest in super comfy shoes for work, even if that means sacrificing style points. I want to stay as healthy as possible for the next 16 weeks. We’ll see how it goes and I refuse to let the half marathon be something I stress about. As my training partner Lynn likes to say, “It’s just running.”
Wish me luck!
482gr8 