Finding a place to start has be tough. There are lots of positives to take from the race but I think I need to “take out the trash” before I get there.
I came up short of my top 15 goal finishing 23rd overall in a time of 2:07:36. Had I hit my goal time of 2:05 I would have finished inside the top 15 as I had thought.
A big reason I came up short was a foot problem on the run. To be honest, I felt something in my foot all week but it had been getting better day by day and race morning I could barely feel it warming up. But half way through the run it started to bother me and with about 2 km left I could barely stand the pain.
But I kept going and managed to finish the 10k in just over 40 minutes. Had I been able to run properly I would like to think I could’ve been in the 38 minute range and very close to the top 15. After the race I went into the first aid tent and they told me what I had somewhat expected to hear, that they thought it was probably a stress fracture.
Monday I had the foot checked out, was told the same thing, and am now waiting for a CT scan on Wednesday to confirm. So the week has been spent watching the foot swell up (almost comically), go black and blue in places, and now start to get better (I can almost walk without limping now).
What is most frustrating is that by pushing through the pain on Sunday I’ve probably taken myself out for the rest of the season. All I needed was another top 10 in any race (much easier than at Nationals) to get my elite status. With two races in the next two weeks I probably would have done it. But instead I’m limping around, not training, hoping for some sort of miracle cure.
So there’s the trash. Taken out. All the positives to come.
