on running afowl

I had hoped to resume my usual running schedule, or something like it, starting today. But that didn’t happen. In the few miles of running I did manage to get in this morning, a few things became clear:

1. I’m still injured;
2. I’ve already lost some of my endurance;
3. I really miss my long runs.

Unfortunately, #1 means I need more time off, which is only going to make #2 worse.

I’m pretty upset about the whole thing. More than I like to admit. Running is a big part of my life–it has to be when you’re at it 20+ hours a week. It’s something I enjoy, that I feel like I’m good at (in my own way), and that I thought I could control. But I can’t control it, at least not entirely.

So I’m stuck for a little while yet. In the meantime I’m trying to maintain some leg strength and cardiovascular fitness by cycling and maybe now spending some time on the elliptical machine and in the pool.

I wanted to run a marathon on my birthday at the end of December. Normally that wouldn’t require any special preparation, but now I’m starting to worry a little bit.

Maybe, though, this is an opportunity. An opportunity to really train for a marathon, to do speed work (since I won’t be able to run 32 miles every day for a while) and all the other things I never do because of my focus on the long run.

So I’m going to look into marathon training programs. I’m hoping to get four full weeks of running in before the end of December, and at the end of those four weeks I’d like to be able to run a marathon, even if I don’t go run this particular race. I realize four weeks is pushing it, and that most programs are meant for longer periods of time, but that’s my goal: 26.2 miles on my birthday.

Oh, and of course I’m open to suggestions and advice.