The Comeback!

I haven't run a race since the Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon on January 25^th. If you follow this blog you know this is a long time for me. I have a good reason for having nothing on the schedule. I unfortunately had to have a hysterectomy on March 9^th. The good news is that the surgery went well and my life will be much better going forward. The bad news is I wasn’t able to run at all for 4 weeks. Just walking. Basically I have had to start completely over in my training and it has been tough.

Two days after the surgery I could barely walk down my driveway and back without being completely exhausted. This was very frustrating for me since just before the surgery I had run 13 miles! I slowly kept adding distance to my walks and was regaining my strength but still wasn’t cleared to run and frankly I had no desire to run either. I was worried. I was worried that I would never get back to the marathon. I did something you should never do. I went to the internet. I found so many stories about people not being able to come back from this. I also found stories that people came back stronger than ever. (I of course ignored those). I was finally cleared by my doctor to start running again after 4 weeks. The first run was nerve wracking. I was terrified. I ran on the treadmill to control my speed and to be able to stop if I needed to. I ran 3 miles and I didn’t die. I felt like I might. I went super slow, but my comeback had begun.

The last three months have been all about getting back in shape. I put on 5 lbs and I’m still struggling to get rid of all of them. It has been a tough road, but I’m up to 14 miles for my long runs and my speed is looking better than last summer so I’m pleased with that. Some runs are great and some are really bad. I need to remember that I had to start from square one, but it’s hard to remember that.

My first real test is this weekend at the Rock and Roll Chicago half marathon. This was my goal. This is my only legacy race, meaning I have run every one of them. I wanted to keep my streak intact. I am so ready to race and am excited but also nervous. I really hope this goes well because I have five, yes five, full marathons set for the Fall. A bit aggressive? Yes! But I have missed it so much!!