Sunday, September 14, 2008

Change of Plans

Hey blogging friends, remember me? I know, I've been MIA for awhile. Such a bad blogger I've been . . .no posts, no Virtual Run Club posts, very few visits to the blogs I usually frequent.

Why? I've been in an "I hate running" funk for some time. And finally, I think I realize why.

I am in no way, shape or form prepared for the Chicago Marathon. This isn't just anxiety talking. I truly am not ready. (Kinda like how a certain Alaskan is not prepared or ready to hold one of the highest offices in the land, but I digress.)

Back to running . . . This has not been a good training year. As I look back at my race reports, all of them are pretty negative. And I really don't consider myself to be a negative person. Sarcastic at times, maybe, but not overally negative. Between my plantar fasciitis (ah, finally I know how to spell it!) issues in both feet, my recurring ankle pain from last year's Marathon effort and a simply subpar effort to keep my training schedule, I've realized that this is not my year.

Despite good intentions, I've trained like an asshole.

So, here's the plan: I'll be at the starting line this year, but my intent is to stop at the halfway point . . .I'm making it my own little half marathon. I figure this way I get to experience some of the excitement of the Marathon, still put in a fairly significant amount of miles . . .and have time to get to the Finish Line to cheer for Chipper Kim, my other cousins, Keith, John and Lauren - - and Karin of course! (Jeanine has also trained like an asshole so we're going to train for Chicag0 '09 together.)

I've thought about this a lot and don't get me wrong, I am really, really, really ticked and disappointed. I'm mad at myself, mad at my feet, and wish I could turn the clock back four or five months. I really feel bad too, about how wonderful and supportive my friends, family and co-workers have been and here I go and (kinda) drop out.

So I'm trying to focus on the positive:
- Thanks to the generosity of my family, friends and co-workers, I've raised $1,475 for the American Cancer Society.
- I've learned A LOT about what works for me and what doesn't.
- Training this year has been a great way to stay in contact with Chipper Kim, Jeanine, Lauren and John.
- I've met some great virtual friends through this year's training efforts . . .Karin, Lisa, Terri, Kai, Unfocused Life, Jill, e, Tamara, Chris, Kitzzy, Razz and all the runners at Virtual Run Club.

Now I know you may be wondering, what have I been doing since I haven't been blogging? A few things:
- I visited the new gym we've joined a few times. Would have been more, except for . . .
- This sore throat/cold that I've been trying to get rid of for two weeks now.
- Certainly have not been doing enough laundry. (Where do these clothes come from?)
- Researching ideas for Mike's 40th birthday gift. I still have time, but I really would like to surprise him one year (no Mike, not a surprise party)
- Been driving Mike nuts as I've become absolutely obsessed with the Presidential Election. I was obsessed before Palin entered the picture, now I'm just fired up. And not in a good way. I'd love to see a woman vice president or president some day, but she is not the candidate for me. I am a CNN, MSNBC.com, Chicago Tribune and NY Times groupie (Horrors, I'm reading stuff from that liberal media.) I could go on and on but won't . . .instead I leave you with this. I mean, does the McCain campaign really think people are that stupid? Wait, I've seen the comments on Foxnews.com. Nevermind.

(Click pause on my music playlist on the left to hear video.)

10 comments:

Unfocused Me said...

Plans are meant to be changed -- adaptability to changed circumstances is a good thing. Keep in mind that Chicago isn't the only marathon out there. There are several nearby spring marathons if you don't want to wait an entire year to try again.

Jenn said...

Thanks Unfocused . . . I've thought about the Martian Marathon in Novi, MI or even the Phoenix Rock n Roll Marathon in January but decided that my hometown has to be my first!

Lisa said...

Don't beat yourself up too much. Training for a marathon takes a LOT of time. Add in your foot issues, you had an uphill battle.

This whole thing should be something we enjoy, right? I hope you keep up with your running (even if for the half marathon) and keep up with your blog. This post sounded a big like a sign-off and I hope that is not the case.

Maybe now that you have made this decision, you can get back to enjoying yourself.

Kai said...

I think you're making a really smart decision, Jenn. There's no sense in pushing through a marathon (toughest race ever!) if you know it's going to be a miserable, really hard race. Crosstrain at your new gym, keep your base up and I think 2009 will be your year!

Razz said...

I feel your pain. I dropped down to run the Des Moines HALF marathon instead.

Anonymous said...

I'm proud of you for making this tough decision and doing what's right for you. It's hard to feel pressured to do things for other people (I do that ALL THE TIME!), but sometimes if you're not prepared it really is better to find a way that works for you. A marathon is a huge distance and if you're not physically or mentally prepared you run the risk of injury.

I saw somebody on a blog the other day mention that they had "plantar fascist". I just thought of that when you mentioned the spelling issue and figured I'd share. It made me laugh!

We'll all be supporting you, no matter what distance you choose!

Jenn said...

Lisa - - Yes, I'm still going to be running, just setting my sights a little lower (at least until Oct 09) I'll still be running, still be blogging! Appreciate your support.

Karin said...

HEY!! First, I'm so glad to see you back posting again. I was worried about you. Second, that's a really tough call to make, so more power to you for making it. Take it easy for the next few weeks, and go on from there. PF is a b***ch to deal with, and I commend you for even continuing to run on it as much as you did. You made AWESOME progress.

You best be in the ACS tent on marathon day, so we can start out together!!!

ps....i have to agree with your vp opinion!

tamblair said...

At least you are not giving up altogether (like me!). I have heard that PF (I will not attempt to spell it) is incredibly painful, so the fact that you are still willing to run the half is more than impressive to me!! Good luck with all your endeavors! And personally, for the record, I am writing myself in for president this time around. I figure I could do as good a job as any of our fine choices.

Anonymous said...

don't beat yourself up - when you do do the full marathon the first time you will want it to be a positive experience. I think you've made a great decision. I don't know how people with kids can even train for a half marathon to be honest, so just know that there are a lot of us out there that admire you for your strength and dedication.

And I always love your sarcasm on your blog by the way!