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Also, I believe in miracles, and was still hoping for one for my leg...
So, the yellow dog was taken to the kennel and off we went. Our route wasn't exactly direct, as we had to swing by and get our youngest from college.
The race expo was pretty fun. We picked up our bibs and race bags, which made great beach bags all weekend.
We rode a mechanical shoe,
won free t shirts,
and took a silly picture...
that wasn't that different from last year.
On race morning, we woke up at 5:45am. Start time was 7:00am but our hotel was a short 15 minute walk from the line. I spent 15 minutes and $10 worth of KT tape on the one leg in a last ditch effort to give it some support.
Even walking to the start, I knew there was no way I could run 13 miles. My hope was to run/walk and still finish in the 4 hour limit window. Walking has been painful for a couple of weeks. Running was excruciating. By mile marker 2, I was in tears and was being passed by walkers. I did the math, and at my current pace of 18/19 minute miles (that would likely slow as my leg continued to swell), there was no way I could finish in less than 4 hours and honestly didn't think I could stand to hurt that bad for that long. I fell out and followed the signs for the 5k.
I am not a quitter. I'm not sure what hurt more - my leg or my heart. I would have rather not started than to have quit. It felt terrible. And even now, 3 days later, I get emotional about it.
I spent the morning at the clinic yesterday. And came home in one of these.
The x-ray showed a stress fracture - no surprise. I go back for a bone scan tomorrow to see just how bad the stress fracture is so my doc can decide how long I am side-lined. So the Air Force Marathon is out. This also makes me very sad.