... And so it begins, again

Its been almost a year since I had committed myself to putting my running "journey" (for the lack of a better term) on "paper" and sharing my lessons learned throughout my training. I had failed to keep up with this decision because of one reason or another, and without making excuses, I have decided to try it out again as another winter training cycle has began. So here it goes, again...

Over the past year, running had been put on a back burner because I needed to focus on being injury-free and healthy again. 2015 had started with me having high hopes of completing the Pittsburgh Marathon being shattered because tendinitis in my right foot (the one I had fractured in late 2014 during my Columbus Marathon training cycle). When the pain subsided, it was too late in my training to risk running 26.2 miles, and dropped to the half, and had a race I could be proud of, setting a PR by over 4 mins. My mindset changed. I spent the majority of the summer never running more than 4 miles, but working on speed, strength, and mental toughness. I signed up for a packed fall race schedule, and set out to PR in each individual race, and I have come close: only the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler stood in my way. Overall, my summer and fall left me feeling confident and ready following the disappointment of injury after injury. There is one more race on my 2015 calendar, and I have zero doubt about setting one last PR for the year. 

All of this is not without a purpose. On May 1, 2016, the Pittsburgh Marathon looms on my race calendar. To this point, 26.2 miles has eluded me, but I am grounded, I am trusting my training, and I am trusting my almost obsessive planning. Commitment is one of my strong points, and I am trying my damnedest to use my stubbornness to my advantage during this process. I will be pulling advice from those around me, and I know I will be fueled by my disdain for failure. In 2016, I will finally conquer 26.2 miles. In 2016, I will be a marathoner. 

An early Christmas gift...

It's been over 2 months now since I ran last because of a broken bone in my foot.  I have been very careful to follow my doctors recommendations throughout the entire process because the feeling of missing the majority of my races in 2014 was enough of a disappointment that I didn't want to go through the same problems again.

As I briefly mentioned in my previous post, I broke my second metatarsal on my right foot while in the middle of a 20 mile run (the last long run before tapering), while training for the Columbus Marathon; which was supposed to be my first full marathon. This happened 4 days after I ran the Rock n Roll Philadelphia Half, and 3 days before the Pittsburgh Great Race 10k, and needless to say, the devastation was there, but I did what I could to stay focused on staying healthy (unfortunately I did derail a bit here and there).

I was in a walking boot for 8 weeks, and was given the option of surgery 2 times to create a stronger bone, also so my 2nd toe wasn't shorter than my 3rd (the bone shortened about 2 cm because of the nature of the break). I declined surgery. I took it easy. I went to the gym a few times, but hated to feeling of not being able to do cardio to warm up and cool down. I felt like the workouts weren't complete and that I wasn't burning any calories. (And FYI, the weight came back quick, so I have about 20 extra reasons to stay motivated when I do get back out and running)

My boot came off last Monday, and healing looks good, but still no running and no impact, but I was given the advice of 3-4 more weeks, and then I can resume all running activities. What better Christmas gift than being cleared to run on Christmas Day (which is convenient because I asked for plenty of running gear this year). Now it is time to search out advice on how to return to running after a major injury and a 3 month hiatus.

The starting line...

There is the overwhelming want for me to share my running accomplishments (or lack there of recently) with my friends, family, and complete strangers on the interwebs. I never considered putting a running blog together until my recent injury sidelined me for my entire racing season. I suppose this is some way for me to reach out and stay focused while I cannot lace up my running shoes and hit the streets. 

For those who don't know me, my name is Don and I hail from Pittsburgh. Last year I got back into running as a means to lose some weight, stay healthy, and have some good stressfree competition in my life. I ran track in school, and have always had a passion for it, but life got in the way (kids, job, etc) and it went by the wayside. Nothing special, but I made a hardline decision to jump back into it after a little motivation from some close friends of mine. Initially, there was no desire to run long distances, but as I got going, and my pace picked up and things got easier, I then decided that running was for me and I was going to see where I can push myself.

2013 was a great first year of distance running with some pretty solid benchmark times in the races I ran. I set myself up for a very aggressive year in 2014, and I fell flat because of 2 injuries: a sprained left ankle caused by someone stepping on my heel during the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May, and a broken foot that occurred during my final 20 mile long run before the Columbus Marathon in September.

This is my starting line for 2015. I have not been cleared to start any sort of impact cardio, so I am starting from scratch going forward. I am already apprehensive about how my feet will hold up, but I will not let those thoughts deter me from having a great time running in 2015 and beyond. 

I will update on here when I can. I plan on keeping it free form, and as training ramps up for the Pittsburgh Marathon, my posts will most likely become more and more frequent. I hope to gain knowledge from you, and provide a little insight into my training and racing style and analysis. 

Once again, I thank you for taking the few moments to read what I write, and  hope that you all will continue to follow me as the days pass on.