It’s been 12 days since I went after 11 miles and my Achilles was so sore I couldn’t walk. Tonight after a short bike ride I decided to give running a shot again.
It’s a weird feeling when you’re off for a while. You lose almost every ounce of confidence. I really almost thought that I’d forgotten how to run, and was sure my ankles would be mush.
So, before I went outside I went through a series of self-suggestion exercises convincing myself that I am a runner. In the past I have declared that “I am NOT a runner,” but this shit is getting serious and I have to get my head straight within three weeks.
I said it over and over out loud. “I am a runner.” “I am a runner.” “I am a runner.”
My dog was looking at my like she thought I was crazy, so I started telling her, too.
“Mattie, I am a runner . . .” “Daddy is a runner!”
She wagged her tail in that sort of half-happy/half-confused kind of way, then I through her a treat.
I slowly opened the door, gingerly went down the steps, hit my watch and started to jog.
I swear, every time I run I forget that the first mile is just going to feel weird. And it did and I kinda panicked.
“Shit, I’m screwed. How will I ever run a marathon?”
But I kept on, and while my plantar fasciitis hurt, my Achilles seemed fine. After a mile, it started feeling pretty good. Then I started feeling a different pain in the top of my foot and just started laughing.
Like we have to do, I fought through it and by the time I hit my 20 minute goal I was nice and warm and relatively pain free.
So, I guess I’m in a running mood tonight . . . and why not, “I am a runner.”
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Here’s a video I shot for the Middle Half Marathon in Murfreesboro. It turned out pretty good and has a couple shots of Canadian badass Lanni Marchant.