Trying something radically new, I’ve held off on signing up for my next marathon, hoping to be 100% healthy before I commit. Sounds like a no-brainer, but surprisingly, it’s not. My chiropractor thinks I’m still months away from complete recovery for my left leg but that running is preferable to the de-conditioning that would likely occur if I stopped. So he’s cleared me to train for another marathon, and it looks like it’s going to be Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas on November 15.
I’ve been wanting to follow a structured training plan and selected the 16-week Intermediate Plan from Runner’s World because it’s the shortest (giving me maximum recovery time post-Utah) and doesn’t have any speed work for the first two months. Although I just finished running a marathon in spite of this injury, I thought I would see how the first 3 weeks go (including 9-12-mile long runs) before plunking down any cash.
The RW plan is pretty straightforward. I’m swapping a few of the days around to keep my usual rest days and long runs on Saturdays, but in a way that avoids hard runs on back-to-back days. Here’s the schedule for Week 1:
Monday – 4 miles easy
Tuesday – rest
Wednesday- 4 miles hills
Thursday – 4 miles easy
Friday – rest
Saturday- 9 miles LSD
Sunday – 4 miles easy
Total Miles: 25
The highlight of the week was definitely the long run on Saturday. It was my longest since Utah Valley and also my best. I alternated running a mile and walking a minute, and I felt great. My leg was 90-95%, and my cardio felt really strong. I was helped by the cloud cover and thought about the verses that talk about God riding on the clouds (Psalm 68) and being in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91).
There’s another verse that talks about God riding on the clouds:
“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.” (Deuteronomy 33:26 NIV)
I’m not sure of the correct pronunciation of “Jeshurun,” but when I say it, it sounds a lot like, “Just you run.” 🙂
I was hopeful after the great run yesterday, but there was discomfort on today’s recovery run, so I took it .25 at time. Run the (quarter) mile you’re in.
I thought about the verse that says:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;”
(Psalm 24:1 NIV)
If everything and everyone belongs to God, that includes my leg. I prayed to Adonai, the LORD, the owner of everything, who is responsible for keeping my leg in perfect working order and trusted that He WILL heal it because He loves me and desires to do so. He wants me to be able to run with Him and for Him. I do not know exactly when or how this will happen but trust that His timing is perfect and that His purposes will be fulfilled. (Delayed healing from “the acorn that changed my life” served far greater purpose than immediate healing would have.) That said, I hope it’s sooner than later!