Different day, different injury....

Maybe by my sheer experience of having each and every injury you could as a runner, I can help someone else someday....At least that's one way of looking at it....Geez....On the thankful side of things...at least I can walk....

There seems so little to say about the Spa 10k this past weekend, since Cheryl's blog just about said it all...lol...she should be the secretary of ANY and ALL organizations...her "minutes" would be THE BEST....All kidding aside (okay, maybe not all of it, I will have to sprinkle in some humor at some point in this blog or I run the risk of depressing all readers and driving you away forever)...

You may have already guessed that I was foreshadowing a bit, when I mentioned an "injury", but i will get to that soon enough..

This past Saturday was the Spa 10K in none other than"Spa City" Hot Springs, AR. Kim, Cheryl, and I headed up to Hot Springs on Saturday morning in the somewhat bitter cold. According to Cheryl...she hates the winter...any winter weather is bitter and unwelcome. I prefer the cold to the heat any day, but I will say that the numb fingers are a bit much sometimes! It was a reported 27 degrees, that supposedly FELT like 27 degrees that day. "At least it's not windy..." I thought....But it did seem to get colder as we approached Hot Springs. Kim had the heat cranked up for Cheryl...but I had to put the window down at one point...the heat and the windy roads just got to me...I was wearing pants, ill-fitting ones, I might add, and wishing that I had worn shorts that day, preferring numb legs to a "third butt cheek"by time I got those ChoPat straps on under my pants...

We got our packets and were pleased to see that we registered in time for a vest, but Kim and I got Medium sized everything. We regretted that decision, when we pulled out the HUGE "medium" shirt and vest that were inside. We were told that we could try to exchange it after the race for smalls, if there were any left...but we discovered after the race that the small sizes were all gone. Oh well...another nightshirt...hehe... We stayed inside as along as we could and Cheryl jumped and "flew" around in circles (funny to watch, by the way..), partially to warm up and partially to see if she could stimulate things "down below" before the race. We went to the starting area and when they fired the gun, Cheryl took off!! She wanted to finish in an hour, so she was "outta there"...I didn't have a goal, per se, but I had hoped to finish in under an hour.. Not to be gripey, but I just had an all-around, not-so-good race. I did not like the route, as the roads were badly slanted, even in the "flat" parts. I had heard lots of comments and warnings about the hills... I didn't mind the grade of the hills, as much as the steep slant of almost the whole course. I felt like I was constantly running on the insides of my feet!! My right foot, near my arch, the bone right above that, and up my right ankle was killing me...That eventually caught up with me around mile 5, when I realized that I could not run the rest of the way. I could feel myself tearing up with frustration, mostly at the pain and the realization that AGAIN, I had hurt myself..As I got closer to the finish line, I saw the clock and watched with dismay, more than I expected to feel, as 59:59 passed on by...I approached the finish and slowed to a walk, not realizing that I had to cross both mats for my chip to read...a few seconds more to my time.a somewhat disappointing 1:00:48..Kim and Cheryl cheered me on, and me...with my bad attitude and a scowl on my face, proceeded to get my chip cut off and head for the bathroom to take off my ChoPat straps. The girls could tell I needed a few minutes to myself and indeed, I did...Sorry, again, guys for my bad attitude..We left Hot Springs and headed for Benton...Starbuck's and target...here we come! Kim was really nice and bought my drink since I had such a bad race...

Kim and Cheryl were the best part of my day...I can't say that I will do that race again. I almost wish I hadn't done it, but I did have fun with the girls anyway. I have never really been a hypochondriac, but ever since I've started training for the LR Marathon, each and every twinge has become a source of worry...to the point of ridiculousness and self-fulfilling prophecy...I hate that, but it's been hard to know what aches and pains are normal for this kind of thing and what I should be careful about. I almost wonder if I should even do the Memphis Half, because the sheer "race" aspect of it, almost makes me push harder, even though it's supposed to be fun!

I've realized a something painful about myself too...I always thought that other people's expectations were the pressure and paralyzing things that made me fail...that maybe if other people didn't expect so much of me, I would be okay..Yes, some people in my life and immediate circle aren't too supportive or encouraging...But the truth is, well at least the partial truth is...I set MYSELF up for failure...the pressure that I feel most is that of my own expectations...Why won't I allow myself to fail? Why must my performance define who I am? Sometimes when I'm satisfied with where I am, I compare myself with others and sabotage my own efforts by trying to be where they are...All the while, killing my own joy and my ability to enjoy the success of others... Even though Kim and Cheryl are faster and have been around way longer, they have been nothing but encouraging to me, giving me the grace I don't give myself and praising my efforts...reminding me that it's not "all about the PR" and to cut myself some slack, even while helping me try my best. That's a gift, you know...and in light of Thanksgiving and all...I'm again, thankful for them...

Even as I sit here typing, not able to run because of my dang foot, alternating ice packs with SalonPas, and popping Ibuprofen...just hoping it's better by Saturday's long run...I am thankful for my new running family and their support.