I Missed the Plane, Now What?



As many of you know, I am registered for the Big Sur Marathon in California this weekend. That's right, I got my virtual goody bag in my e-mail the other day, and somewhere in a convention center in Monterey is a bib with my name on it and a race shirt in a size small that was ordered just for me. And I'm sure there is a medal ( or ceramic medallion) waiting for me too.  The only problem is, I won't be there to receive any of this.  You guessed it, I made the decision to say good bye to my sister Lacey as she set off on this adventure with out me!

Believe me, this was a HARD decision to make. Those of you have who have been regular readers know that I have been struggling for sometime now with IT band issues and severe hip pain. Even after going to Physical Therapy for an extended period of time, I still didn't think I was prepared to tackle the hills of  Big Sur. So now you know why my sister's post sounded so somber yesterday.  She is quite sad to be going on this journey on her own. She had already conquered The Big Sur Marathon once, so I'm pretty sure doing it again this time was all for my benefit.  But I have to believe she will be fine and that I made the right decision to sit this one out. Needless to say my dreams of becoming a marathoner will not be coming true in 2014.  So now what?

Although I am bummed out, I can't stay sad for too long because I need to continually work on building strength and coming back even stronger because we do have a lot to look forward to.

Although I am slowly going to get back into training mode, I'm pretty much done racing for the summer. Maybe I'll do a local 5K if one comes up and I know Lacey has a few local-ish races she is debating on doing. But come fall, I hope I am back at it and better than before I got injured because here is what is on our list so far:

Rock n Roll VA Beach: ( this is actually a maybe due to some logistics that may change)

Mickey's Haunted Trail Run 5K : Already registered. And I actually got my husband to sign up and run this one too. He may actually make an appearance on the blog! His name is Scott and he could definitely use some encouragement!

Tower of Terror 10 Miler: Already registered. This will be my first night time race.

Rock n Roll Las Vegas:  Already registered. This is actually a family event and I am so excited. My mom and dad will be running this with us!

Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon : Yup, my sister and I are going Goofy! We kept thinking why not throw in an additional 5k and 10k but honestly it's not the distance that gets us, it's all those early mornings and the additional days we would need to be there. Right now neither one of us can confidently dedicate that many days away, especially when we have other races we want to do. But you can bet we've already started thinking of race outfit ideas!

Glass Slipper Challenge: Not signed up yet, but hoping to.

Tinkerbelle: We are thrilled that this race is in May next year. This will be the first time for either of us to participate!

And who knows, maybe I'll try for Big Sur in 2015, but if  we do, that will make for a very busy Spring, so I don't know.

What's on your race schedule for the rest of the year? Will we be seeing you at any of these races?

~M

P.S I don't advertise this often, but I am a part time Travel Planner for Disney. Room rates are out now for Marathon weekend and if you would like me to help book your room for you, it would be my pleasure to do so!  It doesn't cost you anything extra, and if a better rate comes out several months down the road, I will let you know about it ( something the reservation line won't do).

56 comments:

  1. I think you made a smart decision even though it was hard and I hope it helps you come back stronger than ever! Sending good luck to Lacey on a great race and Scott, if you are reading this, can't wait to see you on the blog! You have some awesome races lined up, can't wait to hear all about them, especially the trail race!

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    1. Thanks for sending good vibes to Lacey and Scott! I'm pretty sure lacey ill be fine, it's gonna be all mental for her. The Disney trail 5K is actually one I've never done before. I'm curious to see where the course is.

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  2. good luck and keep training :) The one big race left this year that I want to make is the Hot Chocolate series in Phoenix! We want one of those hoodies! Good luck to Lacey I know you miss her!

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    1. I have been hearing some good things lately about the Hot Chocolate races. Seems funny to hear "Hot Chocolate" in Phoenix! Seems like those races should only be held in the colder states! Good luck with it!

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  3. I hope you get better soon. I know this was a difficult decision, but it was the best for you right now!

    You are going to have a blast at TOT. Such a fun race! I'll see y'all in January at Disney World! :0)

    Btw, when is the Rock n' Roll in Vegas race?

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    1. Yes, Wed definitely hope to see you at WDW in January. I'm so sad that we keep missing each other! Rock n Roll Vegas is November 16th. The weekend after Wine n Dine. That is the main reason we chose to do TOT this year instead of Wine n Dine weekend again. I'm glad we did too, because now I can use the time from the 10 miler for corral placement for the marathon. If I would have waited to use the wine n dine time it would have been too late.

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  4. I'm sorry Meranda! I know you wanted this, but look at all the races you have to look forward to and you have all summer to heal up and get ready! I'm excited to follow you vicariously since I can't do many of these races (EVER...b/c of my work) and can't wait to see you again for the GSC!

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    1. Yes, I am excited about healing and hopefully continuing to train. I know I needed this time to take it easy! Thanks for following along Karen!

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  5. I hope you heal up soon! Nothing more discouraging then having to pull out of a race. But can you imagine how worse you'd feel if you had to pull out of all your other races, because you pushed too far in Big Sur and injured yourself more? I think you're making a very smart move - one that will hopefully allow you to run more with your FAM in the upcoming months! Hang in there!

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    1. Thanks Alicia! I just had this feeling of my IT band really acting up during the race and me not being able to finish. I really didn't want to have a DNF for my first marathon attempt!

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  6. Meranda, sorry you are missing Big Sur but you made a wise decision. It is tough getting through an injury and hopefully you will be much stronger when you get back to training mode. I am so excited to see your list of races since we will be at many of the same Disney races. We are doing Tower of Terror, Princess weekend and Tinkerbell. We need to plan to get together! Also, I will be in Virginia Beach for the Rock 'n Roll event too.....can't wait and hope you will be there as well.

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    1. Seeing all these races in print makes me even more excited for all of those. I will be down at the beach some this summer so we should definitely plan to do some runs or go to First Landing park all together. I'll see when lacey has a weekend off.

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  7. Smart move! Sounds like you have your plate full this next year! I am doing a full in October and then the full in January and then I am crossing my fingers to do the Glass Slipper Challenge!

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    1. Wow, sounds like you have a lot on your plate too. Two fulls with in months!

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  8. I know it was a hard decision but it's for the best so you can enjoy the rest of your race calendar. Hopefully we'll run into each other at both TOT events, and I'm looking to sign up for GSC also!

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    1. Yes, I hope that we do. I have no idea what corral I'll be in but I'm pretty sure I'll be running solo!

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  9. Wow, you have so many great races coming up! That's awesome that your husband signed up for the Haunted 5k with you :) The ToT 10 miler is the only one of these that's on my list for this year but I would love to do RnR Vegas one year. I think I'm going to do RnR USA next year so I'll at least get to experience one of their races.

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    1. Rock n Roll series races are the best. Their expos are amazing. They are my second favorite race series. We must talk more about TOT later!

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  10. Wow, what a bummer! I'm sorry you're missing Big Sur. Looks like you still have some awesome races to look forward to, though!

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    1. Yea, I'm always excited about having a Disney race on the calendar!

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  11. I know that not going to Big Sur was a tough decision, but it was the smart decision to make for your body at this point. There will be many other races, including all the great ones you've listed above. Hopefully things work out for you and I see you at Virginia Beach!

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    1. Yes, I hope to see you at some point along the East Coast this year!

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  12. My co-blogger and I will be at TOT 2014 (I won two race entries) and hopefully at GSC if we get in! Hope to maybe run into you at a meet up! :)

    ~Lisa

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    1. WOW, that is So cool that you won race entries! How did that happen? We will try to get to some meet ups!

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    2. It was through a Canadian fitness magazine called Impact--their grand prize is two entries WDW Marathon or a marathon in Kelowna, BC. OH and they just gave away two passes for W&D, too in their daily draws.

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  13. I'm sorry you're missing it, but some of those injuries really do need to be given attention, and that can mean staying off your feet. It sounds like you have so many other things to look forward to, the sting of missing this one will subside pretty quickly.

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    1. Yes, I know. I will just sit back and wish my sister well for now. I will make it to California next year when I go to Disneyland!

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  14. I'm so sorry to hear that your ITB is still giving you problems. Gee, I hope that PT kicks into high gear. (Wish I could get you into my clinic!) I'm sure with more race rest you'll be aces by the fall!!

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    1. Haha, I was just thinking about you and was going to e-mail you some questions about PT. Thanks for thinking of me!

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  15. I know you're bummed but that was definitely the right call! So much to look forward to - healing is very important right now. xo

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    1. I think it's just the initial shock of realizing that I had to give up such an important race. I'm sure once I cross the finish line at one of the other races my feelings will have changed!

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  16. I'm bummed for you, too. Big Sur is a dream race for us both - so that must've been really tough to pass up. But you do have a lot of other great races coming up to look forward to this year and next! And Big Sur isn't going anywhere. You'll get there! In 2015 or another year. That's awesome you are getting your hubs to run a Disney event with you! I expect to see adorable coordinated costumes!

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    1. I'm actually thinking that it worked out for the better in some crazy way. I did always think Disney would be my first full marathon and now it will be ( knock on wood I don't get injured). I'm pretty excited about Scott running at Disney with me. He has actually agreed to a costume!

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  17. Although I can't imagine how hard of a decision it must of been, it sounds like you made the right one. No need to risk further strain on your injuries when you have so many great races coming down the pike! Can't wait to read all about them :)

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    1. I am hoping my injury subsides completely by then because I do really want to run strong for those fall races!

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  18. That's always a tough decision to make, but I really think if you push your body too far, it never fully recovers. There will always be more races, but you'll have the same body for life.

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    1. Very good point! I just hope I am not past the point of no recovery! It is coming up on 5 months now!

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  19. Too bad you couldn't make it, but it's the smart decision. You gotta rest up for all those races :)

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    1. It does stink but I realize it was the smart thing to do.

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  20. I think you know your body best & if you think it wasn't the best move to go - then it DEFINITELY was the best move not to go! I'm proud of you making such a hard call... it is hard to do that ... but its SMART! So many more races & marathons ahead... no worries! :) You have a lot still on your plate in the future. & you're still AWESOME! Even without Big Sur! :)

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    1. Aww, Thanks Rebecca Jo. It was a hard decision but I do think it was a smart one. I realized that I have absolutely nothing to prove by going out there just to see what I can do. I would rather do my first marathon finishing strong than having to worry about my injury the whole time.

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  21. I'm so sorry that your IT band is giving you trouble and that you have to miss this race. I know how hard it is to make the call to not go, but you will do it in the future! I hope you are injury free very soon friend!

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    1. Thank you Linda! I hope someday that I do get to run it. Hopefully my sister isn't too burnt out again and she agrees to go back :)

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  22. So sorry you won't be able to run with your sister, but it was a smart decision on your part. Injuries are never fun and this will help you heal so you can crush all of your future races! Speaking of future races I'm very jealous of every single one you are running! I wish the TOT and Wine & Dine weren't so close together!

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  23. Meranda, you have such a great attitude! I know it must be so hard for you to not race Big Sur this weekend. I had to defer my GSC this year and it was SO hard, I can relate. You're making a super smart choice for your recovery and you'll be ready to come back stronger than ever for those other races :) Congrats on going Goofy! Hope to see you there!

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  24. I'm sure it was a tough decision, but it sounds like it was the right one. Think long term. Get yourself well and come back stronger. So much to look forward to!

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  25. It sounds like you made the right decision. As runners, I think we always have to consider "the big picture." It's probably best to give your body more time to recover, and you still have tons of awesome races to look forward to! Hope to catch up at ToT or Goofy! I would LOVE to do the RnR in Vegas -- that HAS to be a fun time!

    Oh, and I nominated you guys for a Liebster Award! If you're interested, all the info is here! http://thefinalforty.com/liebster-award :)

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  26. Aw, I think you made the right choice, even though it probably feels super hard right now. :( I actually thought of you guys at the Boston Expo when I saw the Disney booth! There will always be another marathon and you will get there :)

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  27. So sorry to hear you had to pull out of this race. Look at this as a necessary step to full recovery. So many races to look forward to! Hopefully we'll bump into each other at Marathon weekend or Princess Weekend!! :)

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  28. I think you made the wise choice! A lot the time us runners have a hard time saying, I can't do this race, and accepting they need to slow things down and heal. The fact that you can make this smart choice for yourself just shows you will have a lifetime of running ahead of you, instead of a short time and pain. I wish your sister the best of luck, and eventually your going to get your marathon!!! Quite an impressive upcoming schedule!

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  29. I am so sorry you have to miss this! But it looks like you are making a good decision so you can tackle all the other awesome races on your schedule!! You're a smart runner!

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  30. It's tough, but at least you are doing what's right for you, and hopefully avoiding more injury. Looks like you have a pretty fun race line-up ahead, so try to focus on that. I'll also be at WDW Marathon weekend (I registered for Dopey... yikes!) – hopefully I'll have a chance to meet you ladies in person :)

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  31. Rock n Roll Vegas is amazing! I did it last year right after I signed on to be the DC Race Ambassador. You will have the best time people watching! You might have to come to Rock DC next March too! Deborah @ Confessions of A Mother Runner

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  32. I'm doing RnR Las Vegas too (HM)! Maybe we'll all run into each other. Very excited, I love running in the evening!

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  33. I wish you the best in your recovery! I love that you are staying positive and working on getting stronger!!!! You will rock it this summer!
    Look at all those fun races! The RnR Las Vegas is on my bucket list. When Gunshow and I were honeymooning in Las Vegas, the marathon was there! It was so cool! :)

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  34. I'm planning on VA Beach too! :)

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