Keeping Pace

Keeping Pace

The agony of d’feet

by

Let me just start at the end:

I did NOT BQ.


Here’s the rest of the story:
I was doing well with only a little numbness in my left foot for the early miles. I could taste my Boston Marathon Qualification. I stayed focused, relaxed but steady.

CIM Mile Splits.bmp

But somewhere around the half way mark, the numbness changed to pain. I persisted, hoping that it would pass. I didn’t pass though; the pain got worse and I was losing momentum. I passed my family (Big Sis, Bro and his family) around mile 15. The pain was so intense that I nearly missed them. Shortly after, I stopped to stretch my calf muscle and felt my foot seize up with each release of the stretch.

Then my mind began to contemplate the options. It was clear at this point that I would not be getting my BQ. My head was not defeated, it was rational. If I continued on, would I risk ending up in a boot again?

Realizing that my running has been the primary way that I have been coping these days (the reason that I am not on Prozac or institutionalized), I could not chance injury taking me off the streets again. I was ready to DNF. I just had to make it to mile 20 where the family would be next.

Although I tried to keep running, I couldn’t. I am afraid that I walked a little too much so that my family, convinced that that missed me, moved on to the finish line. I was left to find my way to the end on my own. No cell phone, thus no numbers, I joined up with a couple of other injured runners and we walked for several miles together.

By mile 24, I could barely feel the pain in my foot (although I was still walking). I bid my injured runners goodbye and attempted to run the final miles as best as I could.

I ran mile 25 for BoBo, mile 26 for YaYa, and the final 0.2 miles for Tom. I focused on them and denied my mind the experience of the agony of d’foot. I sprinted to the finish, with my whole family in mind, to cross at 4:27:34.

Comments

  1. Sorry to hear about your foot, Juls! You are so right though, there is more to life than a BQ. Have another go at it later, it’ll be there…

  2. Way to finish, pushing through on the toughest days is something to enjoy in it’s own way, and appreciate.

  3. Hello to Joy! Thanks for coming out of lurking to say hello to me along the course. Please post to let me know how your race ended up.

  4. Thwarted by injury… nothing you can do about that.

    I hung around watching the finishers roll in until a little after 3:50, mentally crossing my fingers for you.

    You know, I found the conditions to be less than optimal this year. It was windy and boy, was it crowded!

  5. You clearly made the right choice. I’m sorry I didn’t get up there. If I had half a brain I would have coordinated with your sister and realized that it was possible to move from point to point on the course. I just couldn’t figure it out left to my own devices.

    I’d be very happy with a sub 5 marathon that I walked half of. Very happy. In fact, I’d be happy to run a sub 5 marathon. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective.

    I hope your foot quits hurting ASAP!

  6. I hope your foot heals quickly! You were as prepared as anyone would be, but pain IS pain. Good for you having the wits about you to walk when you needed to. Take care, Juls, and perhaps a chance to BQ is still in the near future.

    BTW, I’d love to have a sub 5 hour marathon… I hope to catch up to you someday!

  7. Oh my goodness! I hadn’t even realized CIM was yesterday. I too am sorry to hear about your foot issues, but your attitude continues to inspire. As I said with Chicago, all these experiences will merely make your BQ success all the sweeter.

  8. Juls,
    That is a bummer, but a good and rational decision. Your time was still awesome!

    Just an FYI, something to try. I’ve had terrible foot pain twice on a run – once at miles 12-14 of Yakima Marathon and once on a long run. In Yakima I figured I was done – I stopped to mess with my shoe – I had it laced funny, so I put it to normal and tightened it up. Amazingly, the pain disapeared! On the long run I remembered that, so I stopped and tightened it over my arch and it took care of it again – same foot. Apparently I need a lot of support on that foot. Anyway, it’s worth a try if it happens again.

  10. Way to make it through, Julie. You have been through so much this year and the way you keep going is heartwarming. We could all take a lesson from your determination! Mo xoxo

  11. Juls,
    Sorry you missed you BQ. I’m sure you can make it next year.

    The race went well for me, a PR by 2 minutes under last year’s. I did have a calf muscle cramp about mile 19, it’s still sore.

  13. that sucks. . . .any chance you can try again this year?????

    for the record, sub 5 is AWESOME!! (for me it would be!) :o)

  19. Wow! I can’t believe those last 2.2 miles. You must have some kind of will.

    So sorry you missed bq-ing (which when I first started blogging, I thought meant BARBEQUE).

    Really sorry. You seem in a good place about it though, which is TRULY inspirational.

  21. Sorry you missed the BQ but it was out of your hands. Great job continuing on through the foot pain! I’m so impressed with your final 2.2- amazing. Congratulations on finishing the marathon and good luck next time! :)

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