Run Anne Run

A month ago I ran my third half marathon, the Indianapolis Monumental. For the record, I not only ran it, I crushed it! I shaved more than 30 minutes off my previous half and this was the first one I ran completely. No run walking, no stops for pain or needing to stretch. I just kept going and going. At mile 10 I actually texted my husband and parents with “Oh Shit, there are only 3 miles left!” I felt so good at that point I knew I was going to finish strong. I had no idea I was going to finish as well as I did but I was confident enough to be dancing and pumping my fist to my punk rock playlist all the way to the finish line!

Today I am stuck in a chair staring at my medals with hip and back pain unable to run. I am trying to remain calm and tell myself that I will be up and running again soon. That my new and surprisingly most rewarding pastime isn’t gone it is just on an injury timeout. I am vowing that this delay is going to make me finally take care of myself and build that core strength I swore I would build before my daughter arrived. Oh if only I had done that. Hindsight is a tough teacher.

When I crushed my personal record (PR) on my last half I got the running bug. I am not even sure that bug is a strong enough term for what this is. All my goals right now center around running. I am trying to think of ways I can run more. Looking for runs I might be able to squeeze in on vacations. Wondering if my husband would be willing to put up with this. Thinking of ways to afford this new hobby. On the plus side with all the race shirts I could get I won’t have to buy workout clothes for a while! My next race is March 30th. The Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k in Indianapolis. A perfect warm-up race for my second attempt at the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, known in Indy as The Mini. Now I just need to get healthy and ready to train again. I have so much to learn about truly doing this running thing properly and in a way that will keep me injury free and getting stronger.