Chicago Marathon 2018 – Update

Greetings! It’s been a hot minute since I last shared a marathon training update and that’s because… well… I’m not running the Chicago Marathon this year.

I know. It’s probably not much of a shocker considering I haven’t been able to run much, if at all.

Injury Strikes

If you have been reading my blog before the site went down, you’d most likely remember that I had been having some really good training runs. I mean, I ran 15 miles without stopping or walking for anything but water/nutrition and a bathroom break. It was the furthest I had ever run continuously so I felt really good. This was on July 28th.

I ran my 7 miles on July 29th and took my rest day on the 30th as planned. When I woke up on the 31st, my ankle was in a lot of pain and I could barely walk, let alone run, so I took another day off. I got up for my run on August 1st feeling okay until ~1/2 mile into the run when my ankle started acting up again. I hobbled home while looking online for the nearest in-network orthopedic I could see that day. At my appointment, I got an x-ray that revealed nothing was broken but my doctor put me in a boot, physical therapy, and gave me orders not to run for 2 weeks or as cleared by the therapist.

Okay, two weeks isn’t too bad. Right?

I started going to therapy 2-3x/week and wore my boot for those two weeks. During my follow up visit, the MRI revealed that although I didn’t have a fracture, I did have a lot of inflammation. The doctor told me to stop wearing the boot but to continue with therapy for 2 more weeks.

After 3 weeks of therapy (week of August 27ish), my therapist told me I could start running and to just do what I could handle. As it turns out, I could handle 2 miles every few days. Hey, it’s not much but it’s a start! I eventually was able to work up to 3 miles which is where I’m at now.

Although I’m feeling much better, I’m still experiencing some pain and soreness. Like, I now have shin splints on the formerly-injured leg. Luckily, shin splints are fairly easy to treat!

But because I haven’t done a long run in a VERY long time and I’m still not 100%, I’ve decided to forgo the Chicago Marathon this year. I am able to defer my entry to the 2019 race so that’s what I’m going to do.

I’ll still be cheering everybody on this year, though! Catch me near Addison 🙂 

Chicago Marathon 2019

Since I’m no longer running the 2018 Chicago Marathon, I’m setting my sights on next years race. My focus right now is to get – and stay – healthy. This means actually going to the gym on a regular basis (something I’ve been neglecting for far too long), making healthy, nourishing food choices, and resting when my body needs a rest.

Additionally, I’d like to lose 20 pounds before training for next year begins but the number on the scale isn’t as important as my fitness levels. (Although it definitely helps as far as getting faster.)

So! I’m still going to be posting weekly workout and progress updates. That will all resume next week! Hold me accountable, okay? Thanks.

I’m heading off for a run and workout! Have a great Monday, everyone!