If something is lost, it can be found
I once wrote about my running: "not at any cost". And I stand by what I said.
Last night I talked to my wife Lisa about a new Willpower Collection I’ve been working on lately. It is called "Without/Within" and it is for runners who currently cannot run, but are still runner’s at heart. Well, today I am the one, who can’t run.
I was very hopeful that 2 full days of rest would provide relief and healing to my hip flexor. I literally had my marathon bag packed already. Train and hotel were booked and a lot of carbs were loaded.
I wasn’t looking for "good", but for "good enough", regarding my hip and thigh. However, a short test run this morning brought the bitter truth: It wasn’t even "good enough".
It was devastating. Every time my left foot hit the ground pain shot up and down my thigh. I played around with different paces, stride lengths, relieving postures, but the ache remained. I might be able to ignore this for an hour of easy jogging, but definitely not for an all out marathon. No chance to sugarcoat this, I am injured. Period. With that being said: no Kandel Marathon for me tomorrow. What a bummer :-(
A marathon preparation is a lot about momentum, both physically and mentally. For me, even emotionally. To be "ready" means much more than just being in top shape. I had the feeling, I was ready. Very ready. And now it feels like someone deprived me of the opportunity to give it all.
Here’s a few honest words you probably won’t read often on the internet. I could have easily run this marathon. The only thing I would have to do, is to shoot up some painkillers and numb the injury for a couple of hours. Everyone knows the studies, that 50% of the runners in a marathon starter field do this. And yes, it is tempting. Very tempting. But I don’t want to succumb to this path. It feels disrespectful towards my body and it is very short-sighted, even ignorant. But I admit, that the thought came to my mind.
However, I once wrote about my running: "not at any cost". And I stand by what I said. The tag line of the "Without/Within" Collection I mentioned in the beginning is "If something is lost, it can be found." And yes, I will find again what I was looking for at tomorrow’s Kandel Marathon.
