My training for the Germantown Half Marathon in Memphis on St. Patrick’s Day is a little bit off.

A combination of bad weather, sore ankle and, well, a bad attitude, all contributed to affect my mileage. So, I was a little bit nervous getting in 8 miles last weekend with my friend Deb.

It was a little bit chilly when we started on the Olentangy Trail at 7:00 a.m., with temperatures in the mid-30s. But as we walked, the clouds parted and the sun peeked through — it was beautiful! After an hour we went back to the starting point to meet up with the other Buckeye Striders. We tossed our gloves in our cars because it had warmed up. I regretted that decision once we were far enough away that I couldn’t go back. My hands were freezing!

The number of runners on the trail with the Marathon in Training group was surprising! It’s great seeing so many people out being active that early on a Saturday morning. These herds were not large and the runners were friendly and considerate.

Because I had ankle pain on Monday doing long mileage (more on this at the end of this post), I was very nervous.

At about mile 4 I could feel a “bubble” building in my ankle and eventually it dispersed on its own. I noticed my right foot was starting to “flop” a little, but there was no pain. I worked hard to plant my heel and roll the foot the best I could. It helped somewhat.

I was so excited when I passed the 6-mile mark with still no pain!

I finished the 8 miles feeling great! I was appropriately tired for someone who has not been training correctly and I went through the rest of the day pain free!

On many different levels this morning’s walk was great! The weather was beautiful, I was with friends and I’m without pain. Who could ask for more?

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Ankle Pain Details:
Monday morning I did 8 miles alone at Sharon Woods park. My right ankle and foot were so sore starting a little before the 6-mile marker, I could barely finish the last two miles. (Someone asked if I cut my training miles short, but I was two miles from my car. There was no way to cut it short.) The foot pain was new and was pretty intense. It’s how I imagine walking on a broken bone would feel. (After I finished and was able to take my shoe off, there was no pain in my foot anywhere.)

Monday afternoon, I had a physical therapy appointment. The PT I saw was different from my usual person, and she suggested that maybe wearing super heavy shoes wasn’t the answer. They might be changing my gait a little, adding to the problem and causing my foot to hurt.

I’ve been going to PT for a couple of weeks and though my ankle is stronger, I wasn’t noticing improvement while walking long distances.  I didn’t walk all that week because I was so discouraged.

Saturday I went back to wearing my super light Altras and I felt great! The PT was right!

I’m sure I still have a long way to go, but I am feeling much more enthusiastic.

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