The fallout. Aka: The post marathon slump….depression….whatever you want to call it. You have all written about it and I chose not to believe it. But alas, here we are. And I can’t sleep, so here we are writing in the middle of the night when I have to get up early and teach bootcamp.

It’s been pretty much exactly two months since my marathon. I’ve been staying active. I was working out in school and running a little bit here and there. It helped that I met “the boy” and he runs with me! (I know, right!? A boy that runs with me! It’s brilliant).

About three weeks after my marathon, I did Tough Mudder, which I probably shouldn’t have done, and a couple weeks after that I did the Half on the 4th in Colorado Springs which turned out to be my worst run ever.

During most of this, I have been battling heel pain of unknown origin. It wasn’t immediately after the marathon, but around the time of Tought Mudder. At first I thought it was plantar fascitis. Thinking that the big tendon that runs under the arch of the foot was acting up, pulling at it’s attachment site: the heel. So, I rolled my foot on a lacrosse ball like all the advice out there says. In all fairness, I had already been doing this, but I started doing it more diligently.

The pain still was there. And to be straight, it’s not that bad of a pain. Just irritating. Honestly, I don’t even feel it that much when I run. It’s the before and after. It’s a dull pain; annoying really.

Not seeing any improvement, I started thinking it was achilles tendonitis. So, I started really focussing on foam rolling and stretching my calf muscles. Again, I was already doing this, I just started doing it even more.

Well, the pain is still there. I kinda took a break after the Half on the 4th, but you know us runners, we can’t stay off our feet. I’m also one of those people that just feels like I don’t get exercise unless I am running. I know and realize this is NOT true, especially considering I just graduated from personal training school, BUT that’s just how I have always been.

So, while I’ve been running here and there, battling this weird injury and wanting OH SO BAD to do more races, I have been taking my runs to the trails instead of pounding away on concrete and pavement, in addition to icing it daily, in the effort to help heal my heel. But it’s not just my heel that has left me in the post-marathon slump.I NEED another race to train for, but alas, I have not decided on one for a few reasons.

1. I have not money. 2. I have no idea what is going to be happening in a few months (let alone tomorrow) to be able to plan a race, EVEN a local race.

It sounds silly, but I just want to travel all around and run. Maybe silly is not the right word. It’s UNREALISTIC. I realize this dream is improbable, or at least improbable for the current time and life status.

Anyway, that’s my random Post-Marathon Fallout thoughts. If you couldn’t tell, my relationship with running right now is all over the place. I want to run, but I don’t. I want to run, but I can’t. OR I want to run, but it hurts.

For now, I am working on finding a personal trainer job. I still need to get the actual certification. There’s been a little bit of a mix up with that. My school offered a cheaper cost for taking the NASM CPT test (National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified, Personal Trainer). Well, the contact that my school had for them screwed up my account and I haven’t been able to even register for the test yet! Super frustrating.

Once that is done though, I should have no problem getting in the door somewhere. I am still coaching the women’s bootcamp and loving that still.

For you all, I am currently working on a series of posts for the races I did AFTER my marathon and BEFORE! I believe I missed a few recaps here and there. So expect to see my Tough Mudder Recap (not a great go at it this time around), the Half on the 4th (worst race for me yet!), The Sugarloaf 15k (remember, I did a race in Maine as well) The Dino Half (I broke my PR by a landslide AND placed in my age group thanks to an amazing pacer!), and I don’t think I ever got around to posting about the Erin Go Braugh 7.77K (waaaaaaayyyyyy back in March, geez!).

I’d also like to share with you my travels in Maine/Vermont and in the next week, I want to show you all the work out I have been doing since I haven’t been running that much; It’s a Man of Steel workout put out by the Superman movie that was playing not that long ago. It’s a super hard workout! So expect to see that as well!