GAME OVER - well at least for a little while...
So much for my third marathon for the year...As the picture to the left shows, my right leg is currently in an air cast. I started the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday with a little soreness on my shin that I have been ignoring over the past 3-4 weeks. I just figured the pain was a shin splint, and the pain would go away after I warmed up with a few miles in the marathon. I had been doing some long runs leading up to the marathon (20+ mile runs), and just figured that contributed to the shin splint/soreness.So, about three miles into the marathon I'm keeping pace with no issues and am heading down a hill with 18,000+ other maniacs running in 30 degree weather. My pain starts in my leg after the downhill, but this time instead of going away, it gets worse to the point that I had to stop because I couldn't put any weight on the leg at all. After hobbling to an ambulance along the course, the "sweep wagon" comes and retrieves my sorry butt to take me back to the start/finish line. I gather my stuff in disgust and disappointment and head back for home. A trip to the ER shows no fracture on the x-rays, but the doctors say an MRI will probably show a stress fracture, which I will have done in the next day or two. So, crutches and a nice big cast in the meantime, and no training for the next 4-6 weeks while it heals. Did I learn anything with my latest marathon? Yes - don't train too much too soon (a common problem which causes stress fractures - I don't think I did that in my training though), make sure to replace shoes frequently (I went WAY too long with my last pair during my training for this marathon), and above all don't ignore/explain away pain while training! 6 months worth of training for 1 day down the crapper because I explained away a little pain during training....
Oh well, there's always next year! I think fitness is very important, especially as I get older. I have my sights on a marathon or two next year (and maybe the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike race), and I'm not giving up until I qualify for the Boston Marathon - everybody needs goals right?!?!
Labels: Boston Marathon, Leadville 100, Philadelphia Marathon
posted by Kevin Blumenthal - Blumen Boas at
7:49 PM
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