Welcome to week 10 of marathon training! If you click on the activity link after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.

Day 64 | Monday, August 17: Rest Cross-Train

Wow – this must have been a tough workout, because I felt dizzy and weak when I was done!

I ordered a shin brace on Monday night (thanks for the suggestion, Holly!). I am excited to see if that helps.

Bike Time: 30 min | Distance: 8.8 miles

Day 65 | Tuesday, August 18: Run 4 miles Cross-Train

I wanted to run on Tuesday, but figured since my shin was bothering me laying in bed Monday night, and it hurt when I woke up, I better NOT.

I feel really bummed out when my running friends at work ask me how training is going, and I have to tell my sad story. But, telling them at least got me a referral to a doctor a lot of them use at the UIC Sports Medicine Center.

I called my regular doctor asking him for a referral on Tuesday morning, and he said he could give me a name, but all I was going to hear was “rest and physical therapy.” He told me to take two weeks off from running, do low intensity workouts, then come back to running slowly. I asked him if this meant I could still run two times a week… and he kind of said “no.”

He told me there is no reason to see a doctor, because there is nothing there (in your shin) to hurt majorly. Yeah, not sure what he meant about that. BUT, there actually is a small bump in my leg where it hurts. I can feel it when I massage my leg.

So, I hope this UIC guy can give me some pointers (my appointment is 9/3). I don’t expect a miracle.

Elliptical Time: 30 min |Distance: 2.9 miles

Day 66 | Wednesday, August 19: Run 8 miles Rest

Woke up limping. Why?! Why would I be limping?! I haven’t been running!

Day 67 | Thursday, August 20: Run 4 miles Cross-Train

I had a lunch-time run scheduled with Erin, but she had to cancel (She forgot her work computer at home and didn’t realize until she got to the office! So she went  home and worked from there). I was sad I didn’t get to see Erin, but it’s probably better that I took another day off from running. It was down to the office gym for the third time this week…

Bike Time: 30 min | Distance: 8.9 miles

Day 68 | Friday, August 21: Rest

Day 69 | Saturday, August 22: Run 17 miles Run 2 miles

I left to run at 11:00 am. It was about 68°F. In August! This is wrong! I keep saying, “Why wasn’t it this cool last Saturday…?”

Anyway, my goal was to run 2 miles. I got out to the park and thought, “Ooo, maybe I can do 3 or 4!” Yeah. I ran 1 mile and walked 1 mile (plus warm-up and cool-down).

During the first .25 miles of my run, my gait was SO OFF. It was like I forgot how to run. It felt unnatural and uncomfortable. I got in to it after the first .25 miles, but my shin started to ache at about .75 miles. So I called it quits at 1 mile. LAME-O. And I probably shouldn’t have even walked a whole mile after that, because my shin was throbbing a bit. I iced it when I got home. I ice it a lot now. I don’t think it does much anymore.

Distance: 2.00 | Time: 26:01 | 1: 9:57 | 2: 16:04

Day 70 | Sunday, August 23: Cross-Train

Steven got my bike ready on Saturday, so I could take my first “real” bike ride on Sunday! And, since my awesome-o car can fit TWO bikes in it, he decided to come with me!

Love my car.

We went back to the Rollins Savanna for an easy 12 miles, which is two times around the path.

I know nothing about biking.

I like this Forest Preserve because it feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. Once you get on the trail, there are only a few times you see the highway or houses.

We saw four deer together and stopped to take some photos. A man rode by on his bike and said to us, “that’s what it’s all about!” He’s right. Life IS all about enjoying these small things. Life isn’t about worrying about your crappy shin and how you can’t run.

There is a place to stop and look through binoculars over the savanna. We were spying on some people who were letting their dog play in the swamp. The entire lower half of his body was covered in mud!

Later we saw a hot air balloon (you’ll have to click on the image to make it larger).

We enjoyed our bike ride. I still felt like I got somewhat of a workout (I made sure to use a high gear when we were riding so I could feel it in my quads), but had fun while doing it.

My shin brace came on Saturday, so I wore it most of the day, and on our bike ride. It feels good to wear it. It distracts from the pain, but my shin still ached when we were done with our ride.

Bike Time: 1:07:12 | Distance: 11.81 miles

Week Summary:

Thank you to everyone who has been sticking around for the pathetic-ness my “marathon” training has become. I am not even really sure if I can call this “marathon training” anymore. It may become “half-marathon training,” or just, “training.” I did change the name of the category to Running/Training.

I am not terribly upset that I may not be able to run this marathon. If my body wants me to wait, I’ll wait. It’s just that now, I have to decide what to do. Should I try to run the half instead? Not run at all? I don’t really feel like going to Kansas City just to run 13.1 miles. Especially since Steven’s 10-year reunion is about two weeks later and we might go down there for that.