Best laid plans, as they say…
I scheduled my first race, a half marathon with a gracious time limit, for two weeks after my 16-week post-op, which was when my surgeon hoped I would be cleared to run. (Remember, I have a history that meant I needed to be cautious in my recovery, so my VC didn’t collapse, or as we like to say: so my hoohaw doesn’t fall out.) But of course, my post-op was delayed two weeks, putting it just two days before my first race.
At 16 weeks, I started adding in a bit of running into my long walks. One week prior to the race, I walked with a bit of running 14 Miles. I was hitting a 7 mile out and back once or twice a week, mostly walking, with a touch of running, at a 14 minute pace. Then came the pre-op.
Instead of TMI here, I will simply say my internal stitches hadn’t dissolved or called out yet, and the surgeon encouraged them a bit. All the pain…for a couple of weeks!
I ran the race. The Orca Half Marathon in West Seattle.
The first seven miles were fast and easy, but hilly. When I go up a hill, I feel every stitch. Seven miles, then my hoohaw said no, no, no. And no.
The next three miles of pain were filled with tears, yelling at Artboy, hobbling slowly, and wanting to quit. The last three miles were better, slow with very little running. I finished in 2:54:22. Nine minutes too slow for a base proof of time.
But I survived.
