Going to take a little break from talking about Sink or Swim this week – I still encourage you to go buy it though! – and talk about marathon training. In the last blog I talked about training, I was just starting the training plan. Now, I’m over a month into it, and unfortunately, I’ve hit a bit of a snag.

I was doing so well for weeks. I was getting all those long runs in, and feeling pretty good, even running five days a week, which for me, is kind of a lot! I did my 12 mile run last weekend, but ever since, I’ve been having some issues with my calf on the left leg. It was sore for a little while leading up to that run, but still at a point where it was bearable. I took Sunday as a rest day, and then hit it hard again the following Monday for an eight mile run. Bad idea!! That Monday run did me in. I could barely put any weight on my leg for the rest of the day, and had to take the following Tuesday off. I was supposed to do another eight miler on Wednesday, but could only do five. Which isn’t bad, but my leg hurt the entire way. AND I had softball on Wednesday, and even though I really wanted to be able to play fully and run well, I had to bring in a runner for me because my leg couldn’t handle it.

So, I’ve made the really hard decision to skip my long run this weekend. I was supposed to do 13 miles this weekend, and I feel really bad about not being able to do it. It kind of sucks that now that I WANT to be running these long runs, I can’t! But, I’m hoping by the end of next week my leg will feel a lot better and I’ll be able to pick up training again, no problem.

Lots of you are probably thinking: It’s only a couple days, you’ll be fine! And some of my friends have been hurt recently, too, and I’ve said that same thing to them. But man, it’s so much easier said than done! It is no fun whatsoever to sit back and watch everyone else continue training, while I have to take a break. But if I don’t take a break, then I will risk hurting myself further, and I would potentially have to take an even longer break. If I have to hit pause, I’d rather do it now than two weeks before the race.

With that said, that doesn’t mean I’ll be sitting around doing nothing. I just won’t be running or putting as much pressure on my leg. I can still ride the bike or do the elliptical, and focus on strength training. I’m not going to use this injury as an excuse to be lazy, but as an opportunity to focus on other exercises. Heck, maybe I’ll even get my butt back in the pool one of these days! I’m still in training mode for this marathon, even if I have to defer the official training plan for a while.

If you’re finding yourself in this same situation, just know that I know how much it sucks! It’s tough to have to take a break from all the hard work you’ve put in thus far. But trust me, it’ll be worth it when you get back to it, hopefully pain free. Take this as an opportunity to do something new, but no matter what, don’t stop moving!

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July weekend! And stay hydrated!!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger