In 2011 I ran my first marathon. What I thought at the time would be first of many. I'd hoped that after getting into shape for the first one, I'd be able to tick off multiple ones in fairly short order by maintaining my fitness. After the marathon I started pushing harder and faster wanting to be better. Soon I was plagued with Plantar fasciitis, and then achilles tendonitis. It feels like I've been nursing some sort of injury ever since.
I'd pretty well decided that if I could ever get healthy again, maybe I'd make an attempt at one more marathon, in an effort to qualify for Boston. I don't know that I feel a desire to run Boston, but I'd like to be good enough to qualify for it.
When a friend suggested to me two months ago that I run Salt Lake with him on April 18th, I wasn't in shape for a marathon. I had run a half two months previously, but had quit running after an injury at work. I took inventory of how I felt. My ribs still hurt a little from the work accident. My feet and achilles felt alright. I didn't feel like I could put in the training to qualify for Boston without getting injured, but possibly I could get in good enough shape to finish the race with my friend. So I agreed and signed up.
I've been running 5 times a week since that time. Strictly sticking to my training plan, and not allowing myself to do extra, trying to avoid any injuries. My left achilles has bothered me the entire time. I've been icing it on a fairly regular basis, and I've tried wearing compression sock on my more challenging runs (which has seemed to help). But still it's been sore, and felt like I could be on the verge of getting worse.
Well yesterday I had a difficult speed session scheduled. Speed work usually seems to be the worst on my achilles, which is frustrating because I enjoy doing the speed work despite the pain. So yesterday somewhere about 6 miles into this workout, it struck me "I'm tired, and my lungs hurt, but my I have not noticed my achilles this whole time." Even today, nearly 24 hours later (quite often the day after a speed work the achilles is still sore) It is still pain free. I don't know what happened or changed in the last two days, but I'm excited. Maybe I will be able to finish this marathon healthy and injury free. If that's the case, then I'm already hopeful that I can turn around and build on this base and start training for a marathon that could be a Boston Qualifier. Knock on wood.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
An answered prayer
I recently came home to two kids in despair. You see it all happened when I brought home two kittens to them. They instantly fell in love with these little kittens. Since their mother is allergic to cats, and the cats have to live outside, the girls insisted that I build them a house. Well, any time the girls were home for the first few weeks, I don't think that the kittens feet ever touched the ground, and with the kittens home right outside the window on the back porch the girls could watch them closely from inside the house as well.
The kittens seemed to love the kids, as much as the kids loved the kittens. They were even coming on demand when the girls called them.
So when the girls get home from school one day and the kittens are no where to be found they panic. By the time I get home from work, the girls have looked everywhere they can think of and are in tears. The first thing I do, is get a little cup of food and shake it, and call for the kittens. The girl comes running from near the back fence. But the boy is still no where to be found. This sets the girls off even more, as these two kittens have always stuck close together.
They continue looking well after dark, searching the bushes with flashlights, and calling for their lost "Scrambler." As bed time is approaching I mention to my youngest daughter, "Make sure you ask Heavenly Father in your prayers tonight to help Scrambler find his way home safely." This is not good enough for my little girl though. She looks at me and with tears in her eyes asks "Dad, can't we pray right now?"
So we gather up her brother and sister, and kneel down to say a prayer. Before we're even able to start the doorbell rings. A neighbor that we've never met is standing at the door and asks "Do you guys have a cat?" So we tell him that as a matter of fact we are missing one. He tells us that he thinks it is stuck up in his tree. He says he had been in the house, and an owl had started making a ruckus out in this tree, so he went to investigate and had found a cat stuck in the tree that the owl was trying to eat. We promptly follow him to his house, and to the correct tree, and sure enough there is "Scrambler" up in the tree and to scared to come down. So I get the honor of climbing up and getting him.
As we return home we once again get on our knees, and this time we are actually able to say our prayer. But now it is a prayer of thanks, rather than the prayer we had originally intended. What a reminder to me that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. Even the prayers of our heart, that we haven't had time to vocalize yet. Especially if you have the faith of a little child.
The kittens seemed to love the kids, as much as the kids loved the kittens. They were even coming on demand when the girls called them.
So when the girls get home from school one day and the kittens are no where to be found they panic. By the time I get home from work, the girls have looked everywhere they can think of and are in tears. The first thing I do, is get a little cup of food and shake it, and call for the kittens. The girl comes running from near the back fence. But the boy is still no where to be found. This sets the girls off even more, as these two kittens have always stuck close together.
They continue looking well after dark, searching the bushes with flashlights, and calling for their lost "Scrambler." As bed time is approaching I mention to my youngest daughter, "Make sure you ask Heavenly Father in your prayers tonight to help Scrambler find his way home safely." This is not good enough for my little girl though. She looks at me and with tears in her eyes asks "Dad, can't we pray right now?"
So we gather up her brother and sister, and kneel down to say a prayer. Before we're even able to start the doorbell rings. A neighbor that we've never met is standing at the door and asks "Do you guys have a cat?" So we tell him that as a matter of fact we are missing one. He tells us that he thinks it is stuck up in his tree. He says he had been in the house, and an owl had started making a ruckus out in this tree, so he went to investigate and had found a cat stuck in the tree that the owl was trying to eat. We promptly follow him to his house, and to the correct tree, and sure enough there is "Scrambler" up in the tree and to scared to come down. So I get the honor of climbing up and getting him.
As we return home we once again get on our knees, and this time we are actually able to say our prayer. But now it is a prayer of thanks, rather than the prayer we had originally intended. What a reminder to me that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. Even the prayers of our heart, that we haven't had time to vocalize yet. Especially if you have the faith of a little child.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)