A Day in the Life

7 weeks out from Melbourne Marathon and I should be in the middle of my biggest training weeks, not sitting in front of the TV with my ankle swollen, and painful, watching a Doctor Who special. As each day goes by, and the improvement in the injury (grade 1 tear of an ankle ligament) improves ever so slowly, I am mentally ticking off firstly target times, then actually fronting the race at all. The latter being the worst case scenario, but sometimes it is good to prepare yourself for every possible case.

The last time I was injured (and simultaneously complaining about it, then alluding to the fact that there were far worse issues in the world to deal with), a good friend reminded me that what is personal to us, is what we miss the most, and rate the most. And yes, I am not at my best at present. Trying to deal with the possible, or probable, disappointment is a part of life, as it is a part of running. But I am thankful for many things; my family, my friends, I have a job, a roof over my head etc. Sometimes we invest far too much energy in something that is not the most important thing in life. And I have been a bit guilty of tying my fortunes to a race that I have wanted to come back and nail for the last 10 months.

Now, the title of this post, whilst also being the title to a famous song, is also a nod to what this post is about.Saturday 23rd August, was different than what I would call a normal Saturday, mainly due to me not running, or not having my day organised around running. It is a common fact among runners that we plan our weekend runs first, then fit in all the other activities after it! Not quite, but the priority of a run seems to have it thought of as the one mandatory activity for a day. It survives, where some others don't. So today I did a few things that I might not have done on a Saturday. Got the motorbike out and rode it to Inverloch (after having to clutch start it, result of in-operation for too long and a dead battery) to catch up with another running friend (Cameron) who also is not running due to injury. Rather than having a chat as we are huffing and puffing along a trail somewhere, we were able to do so over a coffee, and also whilst he pushed his daughters on a swing in the local playground. I took the dog for a longer than normal walk, to areas of Leongatha that I rarely get to see (hilarious when you think what size the town is; Pop. 5000, estimate)

In a nutshell, there is life after running! Don't get me wrong, I haven't given up. I just have had to realise that maybe if I don't achieve my goal for this year, there either maybe next year, or it might be a different goal. And reconciling these issues has made me calm down a bit, take a deep breath and look beyond my current predicament. Running friends have helped with this, enormously. They, more than others, understand the thought process that goes through a runners head when they are driven towards a goal, and might not make it.

Roll forward to Monday, and what is becoming a semi-regular catch up over coffee with friends Nigel and Chrissy, reveals an epiphany of sorts. Okay, so I cannot reach the goals I originally set for the marathon. 3:30 long since sailed away, 3:40 next in sight, but also may be a victim of the stormy seas I am in (love a good nautical analogy!), and next stop is 3:40/3:45. Beyond that is the horizon of the dreaded DNS (Did Not Start...). A realisation that not only is the pace unachievable, but a good chance I won't make the distance without breaking down again, a chance I'm not willing to take.

So, in discussion with Nigel and Chrissy, I have decided that should I be able to toe the start line, and capable of running near enough to 3:45, I will start with them both (and potentially anyone else I know who thinks they are a chance for this time), run with them, enjoy the day, and if possible pace a few of them to their goal times. A bit like Run Melbourne, except that pacing over this distance is also a step into the unknown for me!

Until next time...