I’m crying uncle on the marathon. I hurt myself more seriously than I wanted to admit last summer in Scotland, limped through the last few races of the season, and took off just enough time to let the acute injuries abate but not enough to let the residual issues – namely the achilles tendonitis in my right ankle – really heal.
So when I started ramping up again for a spring marathon, my achilles quickly flared up, and for the past month I’ve been alternating between short stints of rest and marginally longer reprieves of mid-distance semi-painful runs.
Basically, I’ve been stubborn.
And I’m also not doing myself any favors.
Today, 2.5 miles into a 10-mile run, when my ankle was creaking (like, legitimately creaking) with every stride, I decided it was time to stop.
I’m really bad at letting things go – a blessing and a curse – but if there’s any chance of being able to adventure race this summer (and perhaps more importantly, in the interest of not wanting to be in a boot for several months), I’m crossing a spring marathon off my list and looking up rehab programs and strengthening exercises and indoor trainer workouts.
I’m pretty frustrated by the whole thing.
And as I pull the plug on the marathon, I’m also pulling the plug on this blog.
I started Have Dental Floss, Will Travel almost five years ago, when I was just beginning my doctoral dissertation and looking for a way to keep writing creatively as I ventured into the world of serious academic research.
I’ve had the opportunity to connect with some incredible people (please, stay in touch!!) and to chronicle some pretty amazing adventures here, but at this point, that dissertation is on its way to becoming a book, and I’m writing creatively as part of my work, and when we have those amazing adventures, recounting them has come to feel less like an outlet and more an obligation.
I’ve been thinking about shutting it down for awhile (as evidenced by more than six months of half-hearted restarts!), and this feels like the right time to do it.
We’ll still be posting race reports on the GOALS team blog, and maybe someday I’ll come back with something new to blog about.
But for now, thanks for following along. Here’s to lots of new adventures!
