I find myself with yet another running conundrum. My impulsiveness and inability to not have a future goal in front of me seems to get me into this kind of trouble frequently.
At any rate, as we all know I’ve been battling some form of discomfort in my foot/ankle/shin/knee (one or a combination of them) at any given point since about October. I’ve powered through two (well one and a half) half marathons, and I think that is partially the reason why I’m still not 100%. I’m signed up to run another half marathon (Superhero Half) this Sunday. However, after a quick run on Tuesday night (hey 8:17 pace, I remember you) my shins were a little more sore than usual, and the discomfort I experienced on the top of my foot from post Disney until March peeked through ever so slightly.
So, this is where I come to you, fellow readers and runners, for advice. I have three options for Sunday’s race. First, I can run the whole 13.1 miles, and hope nothing flares up and I complete it with minimal pain. Second, I can drop down to the relay portion where I’d run 6 miles and change and have my fiancé drop down with me to do the other half. And option three, I can simply drop out completely and be an excellent spectator and cheer wildly for my fiancé multiple times on the double loop course, and try a run on my own later that day. The question remains – what would you do? What do you think I should do?
I find myself leaning towards not running. I mean, it’s just a race – and one that I signed up after the Rutgers Half that wasn’t truly a half out of annoyance. Training for my first MARATHON is going to be starting soon, and I want to make sure I am as ready for that as possible, and I want to avoid hiccups during that training. The stuborn athlete in me tells me to just do it. The wary and medically reasonable side of me tells me this isn’t even a question, your readers are going to think you are insane, and your health is important so don’t do it. So now it’s your turn to tell me what you think (be honest!). Annnnd go!
Foodosaurus Rex 
Personally, I know I would try and run through the pain. Not that that’s what I think YOU should do, but I just know how stubborn I am. Then again, I don’t know EXACTLY what level of pain you are experiencing? On a scale of 1 to 10 (where at 10 you think you are going to die), where do you fall? Since you are about to start training for your first full marathon (talk about EXCITING!!!), I would say err on the side of caution and not run. After all, you wouldn’t want to seriously injure yourself and kiss those marathon goals goodbye (at least for a while, anyway). Hope you feel better!
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I say skip the race– the sooner you heal, the sooner you can get back out and run the next race!
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