A Victory & A Dilemma

Seymour Half and Monumental Mile

With the exception of the pre-Mini blog, I haven't had much to say about my running since my fractured fibula healed.  That lack of writing wasn't an oversight.

I didn't want to write because I was frustrated with my running.

Every. single. run. this spring felt like a gigantic effort.  My pace was noticeably slower than it was before the injury, and my heart rate was noticeably higher.  I ran a few races as workouts, and though I had a good time, my efforts and my performances did not seem to match well. 

(Oh, check out my running web site if you're interested in any stats'n'such from those races.  Also, I made a cool slideshow of the Mini, and an even cooler slideshow of Wendy's 100.)

I have comeback from injury plenty of times, and even though it takes some time to build back endurance and speed, I had never experienced anything as arduous as this particular process. It seemed that I had plateaued, and I was about to blame it on age (because 35.5 is sooooo different from 35.7), when a different idea came to me.

Dr. Cobb

The very same week I broke my leg (third week of November 2014), I started a new medication.  I noticed no side effects.  I completed one training run after taking the med before I was sidelined.  It was a hard workout, but I assumed the difficulty I felt was because I was running on a broken leg.

My epiphany about two weeks ago was to quit the med.  I did, and everything—like that—is back to normal.  LIKE THAT.

OK, so I didn't consult my doctor first. I promise I monitored everything I needed to monitor. I eventually discussed it with her... nine days later. :-)

HELP!

So now that I know I am truly "back," so to speak, I have a dilemma.  My Limestone Distance Running coach (Wendy) says I need to decide by June 30 what I want my fall goal to be: race the Monumental Half Marathon, or run the Monumental Marathon.  The races are held concurrently on November 7, so it likely won't be hot.  I was hoping I could get some of my friends' input before I make my decision.

Here are a few advantages for each race.

Half Advantages

-The half is my favorite distance to race, and I stand a decent chance of doing well.

-Wendy will be able to run the whole race with me.

Marathon Advantages

-Training for a marathon is more fun than training for a half.

-I'll be able to enjoy race day more since I won't be running as hard as I would in a half.

I think both the marathon and the half present the same injury risk for me because marathon training involves more volume while half training involves more speedwork.  Both of those elements have been impetuses for injury for me.  (Edit: Actually, speedwork is probably more dangerous.)  Keep in mind that my fractured fibula last fall happened because I didn't take off enough time after the marathon, not because of the marathon itself.

My orthopedist says my bones and joints are ready to run 26.2 or race 13.1.  My Novus trainers say I'm in shape for either goal. Wendy agrees. Ed thinks I should do the half because he thinks the marathon is a bigger injury risk. I haven't talked to my Mom and Dad about it, but I know they prefer it when I run a half.  In spite of that, I am leaning toward marathon, just because I like the training, but before I do, I want to elicit advice from my friends...

What do you think? What would you do?