What Hope Looks Like...

My friends, I think this is what hope looks like:


Paris Training Schedule

 If you've been following/reading my blog, you know I've been fighting some serious post-DNF depression & injury. I saw my doctor first thing Monday morning after the marathon & it didn't make me feel any better about my situation. I spent the entire week in a ridiculously large knee brace that didn't fit under any of the dress pants I own... so I had to revert back to "fat pants" I wore 2 sizes ago... yet another blow to my self esteem. Saturday was my birthday & the shame spiral continued. I drank a bottle of very nice Valpolicella wine, ate half a birthday cake, & feasted on chips & onion dip.

And when I woke up on Sunday, I decided it was time to deal with the reality of my situation. Which meant jumping right back on my proper meal plan & arranging sessions with my trainer. I did both of those things. My trainer developed a "mat plan" so I can work on my upper body & core strength while not using my legs at all. It felt GREAT to get back to the gym Tuesday night & be normal for a change... though it was strange to hobble into the gym with that ridiculous knee brace over my capris. During this 2nd week, I've noticed I've had a lot more mobility & range of motion, so I was looking forward to seeing my doctor for a follow up...

Which happened yesterday. And it went awesomely. And I'm very excited. The most important concern I had was a meniscul tear; she no longer believes this to be the problem. Doc believes it's my IT Band & a wicked case of Runner's Knee (patellofemoral pain).

And why did I suddenly have these issues when I've never experienced them before? Doc believes it was the cold weather & my inexperience in dealing with the cold weather while running. Her opinion: with a bit of physical therapy, adequate stretching & cold weather gear, & rest, I'll be "up & running" (& skiing) by December with no problem.

My response to this most-excellent news? I immediately wrote out a training schedule for the Paris Marathon. It takes place on 15 April 2012 & I want to be ready for it. But in case I can't physically make it to Paris, I'm looking for other local races I can get to.

I'm just super-excited at this point. I'm not injured nearly as badly as originally thought, I'll be skiing in December with my brand-spanking-new pink skis, & my marathon dreams are not over. And I get to go shopping for cold weather running gear... it's officially awesome time!