Day by day

Last week I was trying to be optimistic, this week I'm on spring break and enjoying the sun. Here's the recap:

Friday - I took the advice of my clinic instructor and went to see an athletic therapist. He used a metal rod to "strip" my IT band. I'm pretty sure I left fingernail indentations on the table. It was incredibly painful but my IT actually felt a lot better when he was done. He also gave me a series of stretches to work on.

That night I opted out of running but went to the track to watch my friends do their 5k prediction runs. Though it was a little hard on my heart, it was really awesome to see most of them come in way faster than they thought they could.

Saturday - I went out for an "easy" run and ended up going faster than I thought I would. About 1 mile in I decided to turn it into my own little 5k predictor. After tip toeing around some puddles and icy spots I managed to complete the 5k in 27:05. This was much faster than I thought I would do at this point and the whole run felt great!

Sunday - I was feeling VERY optimistic. The plan was to join the Manitoba Marathon group and do 12 miles. The run started out with great conversation, sunshine and a new route. Sadly, after 4 miles I was in pain, again. At Assiniboine Park I decided to call it a day and head home. I assured my group that I was fine and would do a slow jog home. Little did I know that running would soon become completely impossible due to pain. I tried calling my emergency pick-up but there was no answer. I ended up walking 3 miles home and freezing. Let's just say the afternoon involved crying, McDonalds and movies with my mom and sister. I have a great family who puts up with the emotional roller coaster I've been on in the last month.


Monday - The sun was out and it was my first official day of spring break! I spent 90 minutes water jogging with a running buddy and fellow teacher. It was an awesome workout and great conversation. I will definitely be visiting the pool on a more regular basis.  I also went back to the athletic therapist who was able to work wonders on my knee. Again, incredibly painful but SO worth it!!! He has advised me to try 2 slow miles tomorrow and see how it goes.

My options at this point are either the Fargo Half Marathon or the Manitoba Full Marathon (in June). I'm not changing my registration to Fargo just yet but the pressure is off for now. It's time to slow down and focus on getting better.

I'll keep ya posted :)