It took some time, but eventually I got over the jet-lag I had carried back with me from Japan. I adjusted to the cold again. And for the first time in the many months of tendinitis I was starting to see paces in the low 8's on my short-to-mid distance runs and comfortable long runs in the 20+ mile range. Signs of spring began to show themselves and I daydreamed of ultra season. Setting sights solidly on several. Another epic birthday run was in the works, then the snow began to melt and the pavement quickly had it's pilfery.
Harsh pain in my left shin shattered the silence of my sleep before the sun had even risen 18 days ago. While a certain degree of soreness is a common companion, a byproduct of my endeavors, I knew instantly that this was different. As tears rolled down my cheek and onto the pillow case I tried to choke down the disappointment. The light at the end of the tendinitis tunnel had turned dark & cast it's injurious light onto the opposite leg.
Waiting out the potential of a stress fracture, unable to run again until the pain is gone, is a mental feat more than a physical one. Discouragement and disappointment is harder to treat. The desire to be accepting of another bum leg must outweigh that of self pity, knowing that pity starves hope and clouds faith.
Skies cleared on Saturday when Maggie joined me for a speed hike thru the woods and hills of our home terrain. Snow had deterred us from from the trails all winter, but to my reprieve it was hike-able throughout and that made for a beautiful day. Every hill was ours for the taking, whether the trail traversed over it or not, we did.
Last May a strain in my quad threatened my early spring season & I struggled with the same doubts I have now. Instead of focusing on the doubt or failure, I will put my hope in the Lord not wanting to forget His healing work and the stellar race that followed that painful period. It's all just part of it and in the end all worth it for those moments when everything comes together. Often times the fight to the finish starts before even reaching the starting line. That's where I'm at.
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