...And Then It's Gone

Granulations. Inflammation. Plantar fasciitis. This is my prognosis three days out from the marathon. It may not be "full blown" plantar fasciitis yet, but it could easily become that.For those of you who run, you can understand the disappointment: three hour long runs, waking up at 5:00 am, miles and miles through the heat of the summer, kick-you-butt track workouts, all building towards one day, one goal. And then in the final days of preparation, one thing shatters it all and suddenly that goal, is made impossible by something completely out of your control.For those of you who don't run, it's like watching your wedding ring slip off your finger into a flushing toilet. There's no way you can grab cause it's swirling quickly towards the bottom and then it's gone.It's that kind of gut wrenching disappointment. Although, I can say that I'm not completely surprised. A spring marathon, plus a summer of racing every other weekend; it had the makings for over training and injury. So maybe I did have some control. Maybe I shouldn't have signed up for a fall marathon. Maybe I shouldn't have raced that ten miler (the one where I almost crapped my pants). Maybe I shouldn't have worn flip flops on Saturday. Maybe...Honestly, control is just an illusion. We really have no control. No matter how hard we try to prevent and protect and prepare, whether it's your training, your children, your marriage, your friendships, your finances, your life; you will never have complete control. Maybe that's what this is all about, another lesson for my Type-A personality that I really am not in control, no matter how hard I try.So I am left with a decision: be smart and cautious and switch to the half-marathon or be "heroic and gritty" and go for the marathon and drop out when it gets too bad. Either way, I'll be taking a nice long rest after this one is over.-Sarah