Bump in the road

Five days until the L.A. Marathon and I'm really excited. In the last four and half months of training I haven't missed one run -- except for this weekend. Somehow, on Thursday I pulled something in the left side of my lower back. It feels like a pinched nerve because when I lift my leg, I feel a sharp pain in one particular spot. Nothing like an unexpected injury to humble you. I guess I shouldn't be totally surprised because my days are definitely not back-friendly; I'm frequently carrying around two toddlers (sometimes both at the same time if Madeleine is feeling jealous of her baby brother), and usually a diaper bag that has to weigh ten pounds, if not fifty. Multiple times during the day, while holding at least one child and the diaper bag, I have to squat down and pick up a pacifier/sippy cup/bag of cheerios - whatever fell from slippery little hands. There are also the grocery bags, sand toys, stuffed animals and loveys to be toted, and it all becomes quite a balancing act. Not a pretty sight, to say the least, but I know every mom out there can relate.

The timing for an injury obviously is bad, but not as bad as if it were to happen this coming Thursday. With a few days off of running and some ibuprofen, I'm hoping to feel well on Sunday morning. Tonight I'll run for the first time in 5 days (besides short bursts of running with clients), and I'm praying the restless time I took off has been enough to reduce the inflammation. At this point, I'm really not allowing myself to think otherwise. I'm running the marathon with pain or without pain, but I'm praying pain isn't in the equation. I know this is yet another lesson to be learned: things in life happen and we're forced to change our expectations. But this realization doesn't make me any less determined to run the marathon to the best of my ability. Yes, I may have to adjust my goal time. I may even have to walk at some point (no shame in walking, but for me it was never a consideration), but I will finish and I'm hoping to finish strong.

I think there's a lesson in this for my kids, too. They can see that mommy doesn't quit even when something is challenging. The lesson may be moot if I stubbornly run and hurt myself even more, but I think I'm smart enough to know when to stop (stress on the word "think"). Fingers crossed that the moot point is my back pain, but I'll only know that for sure when I'm out there with 25,000 other runners on Sunday. Wish me luck.