On your mark…

The moratorium on running, as prescribed by my doctor, is over and it’s time to get back into the swing of things. Almost coinciding with the return to running was my acceptance into the Nike Women’s Marathon. Not that I did anything spectacular to get into said marathon, but it’s a popular race and they always sell out. This year, instead of first-come, first-serve, they decided to run a registration lottery ala the New York Marathon. Not being successful in getting picked in such circumstances in the past, I was thrilled to learn last week that my two running partners and I had been chosen to pay the $110 race entry fee for NWM. Woo!

The marathon is this October in San Francisco. It has probably one of the most scenic marathon courses out there, with over seventeen miles along the coastline! And to buck the marathon tradition of giving a medal to each finisher (An actual medal. Think “Olympics” and then make it ugly.) the Nike Women’s Marathon gives each finisher a Tiffany necklace. I hear each year they are different. In 2005 it was a little runner chick on a pendant. I won’t lie–this is pretty much the main reason I picked this race. Oh, and the t-shirt. A Nike dri-fit number sized for women’s bodies.  I mean I can’t take another ugly, to-my-knees, mock neck (!) MCM tee.  Plus there will be men in tuxedos who hand you that Tiffany necklace upon finishing. I mean, I loved the Marines at the end of MCM, but a guy in a tuxedo? Swoon. Not that I will be swooning. From experience I can tell you that all I’ll want to do upon finishing is get the hell away from the crowd, find my people and take off my shoes and socks. In that order. Although if I thought it would be at all comfortable, I would remove my shoes and socks immediately upon finishing.

Now, the problem with this is that I haven’t been running at all. This was due to an unexpected foot pregnancy. Ok, I am kidding…kind of. My foot wasn’t pregnant, but the MRI I got sure as hell looked more like the sonogram of a baby than a foot. The pain of the mystery foot baby that baffled area orthopedists (well, two of them, but one was a specialist in all things below the ankle, hello…FOOT!) has slowly regressed and the prescribed time off of 10 weeks is now over.

It’s hard for me to not jump right back where I left off, but coming back from injuries (both diagnosed and mysterious) requires patience. Ughughughughughughugh. I hate patience! Mainly because I don’t have it. So far it’s been easier than usual because the foot pain is threatening to return and that scares me and fear will actually instill patience in me. So I guess it’s working out? We’ll see. To aid even more in the patience department, I’ve created a spreadsheet. Because there is nothing I love more than checking things off as “completed”, especially work outs. Call me crazy. Here is the spreadsheet that, if followed, will get me in enough shape so that I can *think* about marathon training. Grayed out boxes are what is completed. Yellow boxes show when I’ve been lazy (or traveling).

So get ready for the return of my running recaps. Running and renovations. Oooh baby, I know you are excited.