Marine Corp Half Marathon

Last Sunday I ran the Marine Corp Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, VA. I was ecstatic! At the Health and Fitness Expo I got a 25% off coupon to VA Runner. I needed new shoes for my marathon training (scheduled to start in July) so I went and got a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12. Then I decided to skip over to the Sports Authority (because the one near me closed a while ago) and I was in heaven!!! Their clearance section was AWESOME! I got a Nike Hat, Nike Dri-Fit Running Shorts, New Balance tank, Under Armour Bra and ADIDAS bra....and they were all only $10-$15 a piece!

Still high from my shopping trip I stopped at Subway to grab a Turkey Sandwich and went to spend the night at my twin's house....where I made my staple pre-run breakfast of whole wheat pancakes so they'd be ready in the morning..... I was in bed early and ready to conquer it!


The race started at 7AM. My sister and I got there and meet up with her friend around 6:30.

My twin Becca and her friend Adam

We had just enough time for a small warm-up, stretch and stop at the bathrooms before we lined up. When the race started I felt amazing.

I am loving my tan line

 My goal was an 8:00 min pace the entire race. The first three miles flew by and I was hitting my miles in a little under 8:00.....However, right after the 3rd mile I got the worst pain I have ever felt while running. It felt like somebody was stabbing me in the ball of my left foot and wiggling that knife around! Absolutely excruciating. For the next 1/2 a mile the shooting and stabbing pain just got worse and worse. I pulled over to the sidelines and went to take my shoe off. I was done. Then my brain decided that quitting was not an option. I had never given up while running and wasn't going to start now. About mile 5 the pain actually subsided a bit. I tend to think this is because I lost feeling in my foot. I finished the race with a time of 1:55:51. 

**Looking back, as upset as I was with that time I still beat last year's time by 4 minutes....and a male in my office who ran. The other one only beat me by one minute!!**

After the race I took my shoe off and saw that the brusing had already set in......I was going to post the picture of the immediate bruising and swelling but it's really disgusting! (Not the injury as much as my feet!)

I just wanted to go home. I was physically and mentally defeated during that race. The negative thoughts never left my head and every mile just drug on and on.......

My foot is not so well. I cannot bear any weight on the ball of my foot or move my last three toes. The bruising has lightened significantly and it, along with the swelling, have moved to my toes. I went to the doctor yesterday and she sent me to the ER for x-rays (lets reallllllly hope those come back today) and promptly put me in this very fashionable boot.

I painted my nails just to feel a little better wearing it.

Have you ever experienced an injury like this? or any other one during a race??

If you're not mentally focused do you have problems with your workout? How do you fix it?