July 22, 2013: On my way to recovery? Knock on wood.

Dear diary blog,

After about 4 months of dealing with tendonitis,  I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It's been a very long tunnel. And no, I haven't been running through it.  

Today I completed 4 miles on the treadmill virtually pain-free (the only pain being the crushing blow to my ego that the last time I felt this good, I was running a half marathon). This time, I followed my physical therapist's advice: stretch before, stretch after, and stretch IN BETWEEN. Also, as she suggested, I included bouts of walking (about 0.2mi every mile). After today's workout, my extensor tendonitis was pain free (the one above the foot), and my plantar tendons have only mild pain (as opposed to severe pain, last Monday night). Even if it took me a lame 45 minutes to complete this workout, I feel good. Really good.

According to the book I bought (see this post), I need to have a 16 mile long run about 3 weeks before the marathon; that will be Sunday, September 22, 2013. This is 9 weeks away. If I want to increase my mileage every week with a linear increase (and not fuck my foot again), I need to run 1.5 miles more (per workout) every week.

It seems doable.

 I'm planning on running about 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and cross-training in the other days. I guess I should allow myself one rest day, probably Saturday or Sunday. I mean, if I ever happen to forget to take a rest day, I'm sure my girlfriend will gently remind me. Remember she is self-described as a "psychopathic, attention-whore"? Those are her words (and my exact sentiments)!

For all of you marathoners, Chicago is just around the corner of summer.

How has your training been going?
Any tips when it comes to nursing an injury?
For all of you bleeding-heart humanitarians, how are your sales pledges going?

Now, I've had a plethora of (voyeuristic) readers implore me to divulge a more "behind the scenes" look at my life. Y'know, what does my typical Saturday morning look like for this French expat living in Boston? Something like this...uninflected voices included:

July 18, 2013: Plantar Fasciitis? Let's see how many tendonitis injuries I can get in one foot.

Following my (very expensive) physical therapy advice, I bought a pair of Saucony Kinvara 4's. These shoes have a small heel-to-toe drop (4mm) and are very flexible, therefore your foot naturally lands in a more mid-foot/forefoot fashion, and consequently my extensor tendon is less solicited. Perfect in the beginning.


Fancy, flashy, fast. 

However, my plantar tendons are getting stressed now that I've changed my running stride. This week, I ran 4 mi without interruption with these new shoes. I haven't run that far since April 1st (that was the day of my injury, remember? I do). Well right after, my tendon under my foot was killing. Also, it seems like my back doesn't like my new way of running either. I felt pain all around my neck to middle back.

What's the point of running again? What's the point of life? Will I ever recover? Will I ever complete this stupid Chicago marathon? Will my girlfriend be proud of me one day instead of having to massage me everyday? Will this blog become so famous that I will be offered a job as a professional runner writer?

This week, I bought my plane ticket to O'Hare, a world famous of a shitshow airport. And because I'm cheap, I chose a shitshow airliner, too. Spirit. This is to add extra difficulty to the initial challenge. This is just how I am. I like when it's hard. And that's not what she said. I also booked a luxurious AirBNB room months ago. So I'm basically all set. Except I cannot even walk at this time.

One thing is sure, I'm GOING to Chicago. If I don't run, I will RAGE like the world is ending. See below a video my girlfriend made of me for my birthday.

Dance, always, forever. With or without a foot.

Alright folks, see you in a tendonitis or two.