Saturday, August 4, 2012

The Calm After The Storm

I'm an injured runner. No running, walking, weight-bearing exercise, bouncing, jostling or dancing  allowed. What better time to share my very first Running Blog Post, right?

Probably not.
Humor me, won't you?



It's unbearably hot and humid. It's Florida...in August...duh. A walk from the front door to the car requires one to change their sweaty underpants. You can imagine how miserable *running* would be. (If you're a Floridian, swap out "imagine" for "remember") And, yet, the above picture of my nephew accurately depicts the way I feel about my current situation. (sidenote: he's adorable and doesn't usually look so grumpish. My very talented photographer friend just happened to catch a cute moment)

(insert whiny voice)
Everyone else gets to feel the lava-like pavement seeping into and blistering the bottoms of their feet.
All the cool people get to feel like they're trying to breathe through a wool blanket, while running.
My running friends get to awaken at 4:15 am, to try to beat the stifling, 6:00 am heat.

Running bloggers, family and friends are all posting amazing tempo runs. They're feeling spectacular after 18-milers. 5k times are plummeting, marathon training plans are being closely followed, training runs are being nailed. They're all loving life, getting faster and stronger and I'm stuck on my bum!!

To add icing to the CrapCake, The Olympic Track and Field Events begin, today. Just to further taunt me, of course.

 It's. Not. Fair. AndIhateit!! (end whiny voice)

Although fully aware of how jerkish this makes me sound, I am unable to contain my rant. Once I moved past the (all new!!) stage of Denial about Denial of being injured, I slid easily into the more well-known days of Actual Denial. ( Bargaining was skipped, altogether, as the pain was too severe to even dream of continuing to run. ) Currently, I'm in the throes of a thrilling mix of Anger, Depression and Forced Acceptance. (reference)

I'd tossed around the idea of starting a blog for many months. Recently, a dear friend, (who also happens to share my last name) encouraged me to do so. I was thinking of our conversation when I glanced at 2 of my 3 boys (more on them to come) sitting quietly on the couch.

Ignore the fact that they're wearing last year's halloween costumes and focus on how calm the moment is. Thx.

This very rarely happens in my daily life. The calm, that is. I initially titled this post "The Calm Before the Storm". It's generally understood that any moment of quiet and peace will soon be followed by wild chaos. I'd planned to tie this into my current Running State of Affairs (RSOA). Something about : This is just the calm before a "storm" of racing and PRs! Woo hoo!! blah,  blah , blah...you get the gist.

Then, I remembered the last few days preceding this one. I ran those children into the ground! We filled our time with swimming, trips to Summer Movies, lunch playdates with cousins, dinner playdates with friends, soccer, tennis...phew! They aren't sitting (in halloween costumes) planning their Big Comeback. They are recovering.
Such a beautiful, calming thought, isn't it? Recovery. I put my body through a slew of local races and then leapt, feet-first, into Marathon training. (my first. Are you more sad about my injury, now?) This is not the time for me to jitter, on the edge of my seat, waiting for the Invevitable Crazy Comeback Storm. This is the time for me to be calm and recover. I have no clue what is coming over the next few weeks' time. It was foolish for me to plan and stress about an unknown future.

So, I will venture into blogging. I will elevate my stress-fractured ankle. I will enjoy the quiet and monsoon-like moments my children produce. I will calm. the heck. down.

Care to join me?




14 comments:

  1. Stress fracture :( how much longer do you have on the bench before the...um, running storm picks back up? I share your rage. Injuries suck, and then you realize how much you surround yourself with other runners, whose active running makes it even suckier.

    You are a great blog-writer, it's about time you started this thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!! I'm excited about it. (the blog...not the stupid stress fracture)

      I have 1-3 more weeks, minimum. You can imagine which # I'm leaning towards.

      Delete
  2. I'm really, really impressed by your calm, and I think it's great you're attempting to, you know, be calm! :)

    By the by, that little grumpish boy is pretty cute, as are the two in Halloween costumes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aw! What a drag! I hope it passes quickly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Luisa. So good to "hear" from you. :)

      Delete
  4. I feel your pain. Looks like you have time to map out your goals. Some of my best races have come after significant injuries. Hang in there and can't wait to read more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's very encouraging. It helps to have those little reminders.
      Thanks!!

      Delete
  5. I is great to see your blog although I am sorry about your injury. My best wishes for your speedy healing! (RhymesWith)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.
      Hope all is well with you and your family. :)

      Delete
  6. I was referred to your blog by your sister. I love it! I was diagnosed with a stress fracture two days ago. I had to remove myself from my racing team sponsored by Pearl iZumi. They are running the Blue Ridge Relay (as an ultra all-female team) this Friday. I also have to sit out a 50K, another Team Pearl iZumi relay and my first 100-mile race. I was shocked initially, but glad that I was diagnosed now after running and jumping on it for three weeks. Now, I am embracing my journey and redirection. I have a blog too. It's called Daisy Among Roses. I'll be blogging about this! I've told myself that I am just going through expansion. Hence the crack. And those with cracks allow the light to shine through. I'd love to talk to you about your path to healing. Best, Claire

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you found me, Claire, but SO sorry for the reason.
      I physically winced when I read what you're being forced to give up due to this injury. You seem like you have an amazing outlook on your situation, though.
      Can't want to read your blog!

      Delete
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