Road To Chicago Pt. 3

The first Chicago Marathon was held on September 23, 1905. Only a dozen or so runners were competing

It now is one of the six world majors and the fourth largest marathon in the world. Ever since 2016 over 40,000 runners have crossed the finish line and in 2019 I was determined to become one.

Upon my return from Huntsville, I was over the moon about begin accepted to run in such a prestigious event in the fall of 2019, but this injury loomed over my head not to mention that plantar faciitis developed in my left foot so now both legs were no longer 100%. I tried to go for a few runs before the beginning of 2019, but I could barely make it to the top of the neighborhood. I decided to do what I could, which was walk. I would go for walks with a weighted vest in an attempt to make it challenging.

I felt like no one could really understand these injuries unless they have experienced them. My right knee was plagued with IT band syndrome (Iliotibial band). Basically there is a tendon that wraps around your knee that is connected to a muscle that extends all the way to your rear. Through my research, I found that our bodies are a kinetic chain and what was causing my knee to hurt was not exactly happening in my knee. It was my buttocks muscles. I had a weak rear. My foot was similar in the way it involves tendons in the kinetic chain. Plantar Faciitis is basically inflammation in the tendons under your foot which can be caused by tightness in the Achilles or calf. Having these injuries resulted in a small depression. I found something that I loved to do and now I could not do it to the best of my ability.

As 2019 rolled in, I went for my annual resolution run. A few weeks have passed by since Huntsville, but I still could not run very far. I ran a little faster than I should on the first day of the year, but felt pain in my knee so I came back home. Since I began this running journey, I have completely neglected my strength training and I also never developed a solid stretching routine. Will and I continued to run sporadically together, but not like we were when training for Huntsville. He also began to develop some running injuries and we would soon do most of our communication through text and phone calls as a result I was running on my own the majority of the time. My PF reached a level of pain that I could no longer run with. I tried every remedy I could find and purchased numerous pairs of shoes. I finally reached a decision to have it injected with cortisone. This was a tough decision and went against everything that people said or I researched. Cortisone could possibly weaken the tendon and make it more likely to tear, which scared me and would put everything on hold. I did it any way and the pain was gone. As far as my IT band syndrome, it was a constant battle by mid spring and early summer, I was running again. My pace was definitely slower but I was running and I was playing it safe. the fear of not accomplishing my dream due to injury or finances loomed over me constantly. I was on a mission to make Chicago happen.

I was naive to the fact that becoming injured while running was even a possibility, but now that the injuries were at bay, I had another obstacle that I didn’t even consider…..Training in the Georgia Heat