Eventually, I will properly race the NYC Marathon. This year was, once again, not the year. Regardless, I am grateful to have participated in the marathon in my favorite city. It truly is a blessing.
**TL;DR**
The crowd carried me through the pain cave for a solid four hours. I was hurting almost the entire time, starting as early as mile 3, but the crowd kept me going. I walked a lot, including almost all of mile 23 and much of the remaining miles. Eventually, I picked it back up to an easy pace so I could cross the finish line running, not walking. I finished in 4:26:22 (10:10 pace), my slowest finish in 28 marathons, since Wilmington in February 2025, when I ran with a UTI. Alas, I survived, and hopefully I can resolve whatever caused the problem.
I had a serious problem with my left foot yesterday. I abandoned all goals because of a familiar issue, but this time the pain was significantly worse than anything I had experienced before. It was excruciating.
I went to my podiatrist this morning as soon as I landed, and I have an MRI of my left foot scheduled for 5:15. It will cost $171 after insurance, but it’s worth it to me to find out whether there’s something treatable going on.
The doctor recommended using the runner’s loop when lacing my shoes to hold my foot back against the heel and prevent compression in the toe box. I’ve never used it before, and I’ll need to switch to longer laces, but I guess I’ll give it a try.
The issue appears to involve nerve compression, which I’ve experienced many times before. However, I had always assumed it was a venous return issue because it almost exclusively occurs in the heat. Yesterday, though, the pain started unusually early and never let up. It grew progressively worse until it was almost unbearable. My toes felt like they were on fire, burning from the inside. Even walking didn’t relieve the pain.
I was so confused. Yes, it was hot, and the sun was beating down on us, but the pain started so early, remained constant, and was more intense. This was some new issue compounding a familiar one.
It was my first run in a new pair of shoes. They’re the same model and size I always wear, but I hadn’t even tried them on before race day. They come tightly laced from the manufacturer, and I likely hadn’t loosened them enough. That may have been a significant factor.
The MRI is to rule out Morton’s neuroma, bone stress reactions, and bone marrow edema. The latter two are only minor concerns, but they’re worth investigating since my toes are still quite painful. It’s only my left foot, which has been structurally a little different since I fractured my ankle in 1998. We’ll see.
I haven’t been giving my body nearly enough recovery time lately, and I know it. Once I get through my immediate schedule, I’ll return to my normal level of manageable insanity. That said, I don’t think inadequate recovery was responsible for this particular issue. I genuinely believe the dramatic difference was due to improperly adjusted shoes and my particular left foot physiology making me especially susceptible to nerve compression from internal crowding.
I knew better than to do what I did. “Nothing new on race day” still applies, even on marathon number 65.
And, because the universe apparently has a sense of humor, when I finally got back to the hostel, the elevator was out of order.
LOL. Figures.
I’ll post the fun photos from yesterday in a more lighthearted post later. Despite everything, I still finished with gratitude and a smile.
Pain is temporary. I am a great healer. I know this.
You must be logged in to post a comment.