I run for...healing.

This post is a long time coming...almost 6 months to be exact. If you will think back with me, my last blog post was a recap of the Table Rock Ultra, a race that was disappointing to say the least. It seems as though since then my running journey has been through its ups and downs. After Table Rock I knew that an ultra was still my dream. I trained to run the 50K at Table Rock so the mileage was there. I quickly signed up for my next attempt, the Land Between the Lakes Ultra in March.

Training for the Land Between the Lakes Ultra started off great. I kicked things off in the first week of November with a 10 mile run. The weekend of Thanksgiving I ran a total of 23 miles in 3 days. I was feeling great, ready for the opportunity to redeem myself. Then in December things started to go downhill. I was hit with a sinus infection that had me struggling to get through my workouts. Despite going to the doctor and taking an antibiotic, I was not recovering. (This has been an ongoing issue for me the last 4 winters. I have had sinus infection after sinus infection with no relief until spring hits). My doctor finally recommended that I see an ENT. It was about that time that I quickly realized that running made my sinus inflammation worse. The doctor advised that I take it easy. I followed doctor's orders as much as a stubborn and crazy runner can. I still got in about 10-15 miles on the weekends but the fatigue and pain in my sinuses made it hard for me to keep up with my weekday workouts. Not to mention I had all of this going on with the stress of the holidays upon me.

January 1, 2017 was my last long run in training for my redemption race. 13.1 miles to kick off the new year. A week later I had strep throat. When the antibiotics for that were finished, I still had symptoms and was diagnosed with yet another sinus infection...3rd for the winter. I had my appointment with my ENT and it confirmed what I had feared...I would require surgery to fix my sinus issues. The scan of my sinuses showed that almost my entire left side was swollen shut. That was the pain and the pressure that I was feeling for months! It was somewhat of a relief to have some answers but with this news, my journey to the Land Between the Lakes Ultra was over.

I ran one time between January 1 and March 1 (the date of my surgery). After being down and out for 3 days after this short 1 mile run on the treadmill, I gave up trying to tough it out. I would just have to wait until after my surgery to get back into the swing of things. I walked A LOT and it was so depressing. All I wanted to do was run. The fear of the surgery almost had me wanting to reschedule for later in the year. Then I remembered how much this has been affecting my running and I knew I needed relief sooner rather than later.

Surgery went SO well! Of course it was painful but I only had to take a few days off work and after about 5 days, the difference was remarkable! I could breathe much easier, my smell and my taste improved, and I had no more pain and pressure. In this moment, it was hard for me to pull back on the reins and not jump straight into running. I waited the required amount of days (10!!) before easing into some exercise once more.

Day 11 post surgery - walked 30 minutes.
Day 13 post surgery - FIRST RUN COMPLETE - 2.26 miles on the treadmill
Day 15 post surgery - 2.72 miles OUTSIDE

First outside run!

And today, 18 days post surgery, I completed 3.7 miles outside. I would call that progress! It's so weird for me to be in this place. After every marathon there was definitely time for recovery and healing but it was 3 weeks at the most and I could still do some easy running/jogging. Two months of NO running is completely new for me. Starting from square one is completely new for me. So this year is all about healing and staging a comeback! I need to prove to myself once again how strong I am. I need to recover and heal from the disappointment of failing to complete my 50K last year. I am going to better, stronger, faster.

The first goal on my journey to a comeback is to complete the Illinois Marathon 10K with my mom. Last year we ran this together in the freezing rain and ended up losing each other at the end. It was hours (probably not that long but it felt like it) before we found each other. My goal is simple - to finish with a better time than last year. After this my slate is clean and I will start the scouting process for what races I want to run this year and I will start to plan my training in accordance.

Ready for my comeback!