2014: A Huge Disappointment

I went into 2014 thinking this was the year I'd finally have another breakthrough in the marathon, that I would smash all of my PRs, that I would be injury free. Little did I know at the time, 2014 had something else In store for me.

I started the year out strong. Running outside when I could- which wasn't very much do to the extreme cold polar vortex shit that descended upon Chicago.

I was happy to see the pancake ice again swaying in the lake.

I ran long runs on the treadmill before work nearly every week that I was training for Knoxville. Yay for waking up at 3am to run 20 miles before work on a Thursday. Yay.

All that work paid off when I ran my 2nd fastest marathon ever on a hilly beast of a course. I was nearly all smiles for 26.2, which was exactly what I needed after I blew up at Fox Valley in 2013 due to fu$king hormones.

I took some time off running post Knoxville. I thought- maybe I could run another late spring marathon and BQ!

I went for a run one night while it was kinda stormy at the end of April. It was gorgeous. I remember speeding up the last 4 miles to out kick the fast approaching storm and get some burgers from 5 Guys.

The last photo I took before my cankle returned.

The next morning I ran on the treadmill and a familiar pain started in my calf/ankle. I was devastated. I knew that the Tendinosis of the peroneal tendon had returned.

I took some time off, and it started feeling better so I ran the inaugural Original 5k put on by fleet feet. But I knew that I had a long couple of months before I would be able to run again.

I started going to PT, something which lasted 4 months. I started lap swimming in a pool.

I even got to the point where I thought doing a triathlon would be a good idea. Because so much of the race would be activities which wouldn't hurt my ankle.

I knew my old blue specialized bike would be up to the challenge.

I even bought a wet suit so I could practice some open water swims, because I was "all in" for the TRI.

The triathlon was a blast and I was so happy to finally give a multisport race a chance.


After 4 months of PT, including 4 weeks of absolutely NO RUNNING, I graduated and started running little by little again. Of course now it was cold out and not my favorite time of year to run. I love sweating my balls off during the summer. Layering up and freezing to death just sucks for me.
But I was happy to be able to run in hot weather for a week in Brasil. It was springtime there after all.

So 2014 was a huge disappointment for running (once again). I didn't get a single PR and got injured again. I only ran 3 races, only one of which I actually "raced."

The interesting thing is that I feel 2014 was one of the best years athletically for me. I ran a decent marathon, learned how to swim (beyond the dog paddle), completed a triathlon, and most important- took care of myself by going to PT.

In May, right after the tendinosis returned, I contemplated giving up running entirely. I've been plagued with injuries for as long as I've been running- 15+ years and felt it was no longer worth it to continue on with these injury cycles and damage my tendons further. But before giving up entirely, I gave PT a shot. Best. Decision. Ever.


After more consistent running including long runs and fast paced runs recently, I finally feel the tendinosis won't return. With 3 days left in December, I will surpass my 2013 December running mileage.

So while 2014 was a huge disappointment for my running, It ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me because I finally got the help I needed to sort out the imbalances and weak hips which were causing chronic issues for me.

So here's to a much better 2015. It can only get better from here.