Saturday, November 22, 2008

how to come back

I had it all planned out.
Train for and run a the full marathon at San Antonio. Paid my money, started training. Then.. I popped a rib out of place while i was on a training run. I was on the verge of running longer than i ever had run before and BOOM. The injury put me out of any training for a month. I was flat on my back .. Literally. I thought I would still walk the half. I could at least do that. But as it came closer and closer I was not even ready to do that. Then.. my Dad had a stroke a few weeks ago, this week.. my littlest got a stomach virus.. leaving me exhausted. (both dad and son are doing really good now)

I am here asking for advice and tips. How do you come back after being so very disappointed. After planning, paying, and then not being able to participate has left me like a deflated balloon.

Today I did my first of a 10 day jump start plan (which you can read about on my fitness blog).. but .. I would love to hear what you ladies have done in the past to come back.. to not quit.. to not give up.

I cant go back to the unfit person i use to be. I just cant. I would love to train for something in the spring.. but how far? how much is too much.. how slow should the recovery-strengthening process be? New territory for me here and its frustrating.

thanks for your help. All your posts keep the spark going inside that I too .. someday.. will be posting that I finished strong too.

4 comments:

Taylor Tribe said...

I just got back into running 4 months ago after 2 years...yes, 2 years! What really helped me was just taking it one day(one step) at a time. On days when things weren't going my way, I'd pick it up the next day.Since then I have run 2 5K's, 2 10k's & a half-marathon.
I'm sorry to hear about all that's happened healthwise in your family including yourself & pray that everyone's doing well. I know you will do great girl! You have a plan, that's awesome! Good luck!!!!!

Jennifer Jane said...

Hang in there! It is so hard to handle setbacks in training... I hate it especially because I use my runs and workouts to deal with my stress. Sometimes you have to slow down and let your body heal though.

I am a few weeks post-baby right now, still not supposed to be "working out." But sometimes it helps to think of this down time like any other professional athlete would take after a serious trauma. I still do as much as my body will allow... But try not to be too disappointed that I'm WAY out of sorts :)

Annie said...

Let your body heal properly first before you get back in the saddle. It's not worth risking a life long reoccurring injury because you got antsy about chalking off a marathon. Joy in the journey you have already made. Just because you haven't done "the marathon" yet doesn't mean you don't deserve the credit for all that you have already done thus far. Sometimes that destination (running the actual marathon) is just the cherry on top of the cake. Let's not forget the cake though. Congrats on all you have done thus far. I'm glad to hear that your dad and son are doing so well now and that you put your priorities straight.

Frannie said...

I don't have advice, just here to commiserate. I hurt my leg after running my first marathon and it felt like it was healing and I started running again and it hurts. Couple that with gaining a little weight and I'm going crazy. I need to get out there and run, so I'm trying to figure out how to do this. I hope your recovery is a smooth one and that you're back out there before you know it!