I’m More Distracted Than…Hey, Look! There’s a Bird!

Yeah. It’s that time of training when my whole entire world centers on me and my training and The Race.  I’m kind of like a toddler – “mememyracemememyraceI’MHUNGRYAGAIN”.  I’ve been trying to write about something but I find myself staring off into space and then have to re-center and kind of start over. Then I’ll start a task at home, get distracted, and start another one, only to then start another one and then I find myself staring off into space. Three weeks from tomorrow, I will be heading north to Boston, or as the Dropkick Murphy’s say, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”. The closer it gets, the more tired I am, the more hungry I am, the more I think about the entire thing, and the more distracted I get. The week before the race, I’m totally expecting 99% of my brain function to cease so I’ll probably be found in a chair going, “ba ba ba ba” like Goldie Hawn did in the movie Overboard. Click HERE to see that scene; it’s hilarious.  I just hope my husband doesn’t find a water barrel to put me in when it happens.

Ba Ba Ba

Oh, I totally forgot to add how FREAKING EXCITED I AM! I’m at the point where, if I think about it too much, I’ll just burst into tears. They’re good tears, but talk about being unstable.

See, already in the few minutes I’ve been writing, I’ve already added a few things to my mental list. Unfortunately the mental list is like having something written in chalk while your angry teenager holds the eraser. It ain’t gonna last long. So the other day, I actually made a list. This is what it said:

• Pay life insurance
• Order Roo Sport (try out with phone – see if it annoys the crap out of me – I did this and it works. Yea, I’ll have my phone to take tons of pictures before the race!)
• Email my friend (yes, I actually had to write down to email someone)
• Cook whole chicken  And it was gooooood.
• Buy sheddable shell (waterproof coat for the marathon in case it’s rainy but wait it will probably be cold anyway so might as well have that and pants so I can stay dry AND warm before the thing starts)
• Buy Garmin band (because I don’t have a spare and remember what happened before the Thanksgiving 5K? Yes, my band broke so my watch would have flopped all over if I hadn’t found duct tape)
• Photo shop pictures
• Email pictures of WOL
• Kennel for Scarlett for July (found one but need to take her vaccination records in person)
• Vet appt for angry black cat
• Paint entertainment center

How ridiculous is this list? Email your friend? Cook the chicken? Paint a piece of furniture that’s in front of or beside you most of the time? Yes, it’s true, I must have these things on my list. The problem is, not all of them are done and then I have about twenty other things flying around in my head that just distract me from the things that are actually ON the list.

By the way, I would totally recommend the Sheddable Shell. I had one for the Houston Marathon where it was cold, windy, and rainy and it, coupled with a few other strategic layers, kept me the perfect temperature AND dry.

Sheddable Shell

Since I’ve written that much more, I have added two more things to my mental list, so it’s actually amazing that I can even type right now.  So another thing that is seriously messing with my concentration is my foot/ankle/shin. According to Dr. Google, it’s the “posterior tibial tendon” area.  I had my chiropractor do some active release therapy on it last week and it seemed fine after that and then for the 16 miler over the weekend. THEN it was sore to the touch Monday, and it was uncomfortable yesterday, just on the cusp of hurting. I talked to my chiro and since he’s not a runner, I just don’t know if he understands the actual position I’m in and how this ache could turn into an injury with the snap of my fingers and that I CANNOT HAVE AN INJURY RIGHT BEFORE THE BOSTON MARATHON. He didn’t feel anything “wrong” and I wasn’t happy with that considering how it felt yesterday. So I’m getting another opinion.  By the way, if you take fish oil capsules, don’t always believe that they’re “burpless”. Trust me.

I think I learned my lesson last fall when I was having symptoms of shin splints. One run would be bad, another good, so I blew it off and pretended they didn’t exist. A month later, I couldn’t run without cringing in severe pain, and finally, I called it quits and deferred the marathon I was hoping to run. This time, I refuse to wait and see, I refuse to take one person’s word for it. I talked to my coach, who is the stable one in the relationship, and she told me to get a second opinion if I wanted. Really, what does it hurt besides my pocketbook?  BUT if I let an ache turn into an injury at this point, then basically, all the money I’ve spent on training and then the trip was for me to have a terrible race at the best race in the world. It didn’t make sense NOT to see someone else for a second opinion. Then I worried that it won’t hurt on my appointment day and then he’ll look at me like, “Hey, thanks for that office visit fee” and I’ll be like “but it will be sore tomorrow….”  I did make that appointment, which probably took me a few hours because I was arguing with myself on whether I should or shouldn’t and then got sidetracked by hunger then took the dog for a long walk, then decided to see if my husband though it was a good idea, which he did of course, so FINALLY, I made the appointment and I go in Friday.  Now I won’t have to question whether or not, to do or not, I am and I will, and it WILL be ok.

So here’s a few things I’ve added to my list:

• Go through a billion different scenarios of what will happen with my foot if I do/don’t go see someone else and it does/doesn’t work and then it hurts/doesn’t hurt for the last few weeks of training and the race.
• Make race day playlist
• Figure out a race strategy and go through yet another billion scenarios of everything ever during any race.
• Find a marathon so if it’s hot/rainy/windy/snowing in Boston I can race again for a BQ before September registration
• Get allergy shot
• Figure out something for dinner because all the food that was meant for leftovers tonight is almost gone. Oops.
• Find a net to catch about a hundred more things that are bouncing around my head.
• Train. Train. Train. And eat.

This weekend, I have a 9 miler on Saturday and then an 18 miler Sunday. I’m going with a group and we’re running from the beach to the “hills” of downtown and then to a spot to where I hope we will be picked up by someone.  That we know. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also hoping that I can get through this run feeling good. I know I need to focus more on pre-run fueling and I will have to carry water and gu with me, since it’s point to point.  Tempo and speed work is going to be quite the challenge next week, but I’m up for what is thrown at me. During all of this, the paranoia of getting sick/injured, the planning, the distraction from all the planning, the running, sleeping, eating, drinking, shopping, through all of it, I know I’m lucky to be able to take part in the Boston Marathon. I’m honored, I’m thrilled, I’m beyond excited. I think most of all though, I’m grateful.  Now, off to get that allergy shot that I was going to go get about three hours ago.

The Newly Painted Boston Marathon Finish Line