Sunday, November 01, 2009

Not his day

Unfortunately Mark finished his race in the medical tent, after being picked up on the course at 35K.

He's had a nagging pain in his calf and hamstring for about five weeks, which reared its ugly head early in the race. It didn't become a problem until the long stretch of downhill after the half way point. When we saw him at 30K (and our friends jumped in to join him for the last 12K), he was visibly pained but still hanging on.

Unfortunately, I got the dreaded phone call shortly thereafter when he had to pull out of the race around 35K. The pain had become debilitating, shooting from his piriformis all the way down his leg and even into his foot. He made the tough but smart call to get help, and fortunately our friends were there and were able to call me to let me know.

I eventually found him at the medical tent (they suspect it's a sciatic issue, but he'll get it checked out at physio tomorrow) and got him home. For now, he's enjoying a stiff drink and some pizza and he is in good spirits. He knows he made the right choice and he knows there will be other marathons. But it still hurts.

I'm not sure if this makes it easier or harder to swallow, but he was on pace and running a beautiful race. Sometimes the best laid plans... well, you know. He'll have another shot at this.

Thanks for all of the support; I'll keep you posted and will share some pics shortly.

50 comments:

Mel-2nd Chances said...

Oh no. So sorry to read... especially cuz reading this reminds me of my own experience in May (got to 36k, and yes, it's a tough call to make) but like he/you said, probably the right choice. All the best to him in recovery... hope it's nothing major!! :(

Marky Mark said...

I thought something like that had happened--very sorry to hear. But you summed it up well. As much as it hurts it was the right call. It sounds like he has avoided a more serious injury and it will make the next one very sweet, whenever that day comes.

As we all know, the marathon can be very humbling and the outcome can't be controlled.

Hope he's enjoying the pizza and drink at least!

Lily on the Road said...

Get better soon Mark, you made the right decision, enjoy that drinky and pizza and epsom slats bath!

yumke said...

I was checking the results earlier and was worried. It's hard to call it a day but you have to listen to your body so you can race another day. Mark will race another day.

Marky Mark said...

Let's support this small race and have all the bloggers and spouses do this one-they have a chili lunch at the end!

http://mississaugacanoeclub.ca/bulletinboard/Chilly%20Willly%202009%20registration%20form.pdf

If it sounds good I hope Mark has fully recovered by then and/or finds the chili to be motivating (or am I theonly one to be mtoivated by such things)?

Denise said...

Oh no. So sorry to hear about the injury. I'm glad to know he's in good spirits. He definitely made the right decision...he'll get it next time.

Marci said...

Sorry to read about the injury, Mark made the right choice, but it is hard to take, especially when so much time and effort is put into a race, but there will be others. I hope Mark heals well!

Laura said...

I was actually on the course today and thought I saw him (recognized from your blog) but wasn't 100% sure it was him. I saw the medical guys pick him up .... at least it was the best call for him and he didn't risk full out injury. As our coach says, there is always another race. Hope all goes well for him.

Lily on the Road said...

oooppps, that should have been Epsom salts bath! LOL

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

The body is an amazinf thing...can take us miles and miles with no pain...then just change and send us all the signals RED FLAG STOP!!

Congrats to Mark for making it as far as he did. I pray that recovery will be swift and he will find his Marathon soon.

Hugs to all. ENJOY that Stiff drink you earned it.

Laura said...

Bummer about the husband. At least he was running strong. Hope he feels better soon!

Kelly said...

Well- thats still very far to run AND good for him for making the call to stop when he did. Hope it turns out to be something that heals quickly!

Unknown said...

Bummer, I'm so sorry things didn't work out. I'm glad he's in good spirits about it, that's got to be so disappointing but he definitely did the right thing. I hope his leg pain gets better soon.

cath said...

great strong decision to stop at 'pain point'. Good on ya Mark!!!

A Toronto girl out West said...

Your hubby is still a star in my book!

Most people will never lace-up their shoes and attempt to run a marathon. the fact that he made it 35k in, on pace, while in pain is incredible!!!!

He has every reason to be proud!!!

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about the injury...he was smart to know when to get help and I'm glad there was medical support on the course.

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

So sorry to hear he couldn't finish. But every attempt is a victory. So many sit on the couch. On any given day the outcome will be different. There's to staying healthy for another day to come.

Anonymous said...

oh nooo! I agree with what you and everyone else has said though- definitely made the right call. This way he will be able to run many more races in the future. He'll make it to the start line again soon... and blow through the finish!!!

Anonymous said...

oh nooo! I agree with what you and everyone else has said though- definitely made the right call. This way he will be able to run many more races in the future. He'll make it to the start line again soon... and blow through the finish!!!

Toni said...

Sorry to hear about the injury. I hope he heals soon!

Karen said...

Sorry to hear it. Can't go wrong with a pizza and a drink! Hope he heals soon!

Boris T said...

Ouch! Sorry to hear about that. Hope his healing is quick.

Jess said...

Sorry to hear it! Hope he's able to heal up quickly!

Heather said...

Sorry your hubs had a rough day. Make that man another drink! :)

Jenn said...

Wow, I'm disappointed that things didn't go as planned, but am glad he didn't go and hurt himself all badly. Sounds like you're being really supportive which is great.

Jamie said...

That sucks! I'm sorry to hear that but good for him pulling himself out before he did anymore damage. Hope it's nothing too serious and he heals quickly!

Runner Leana said...

Oh no Marlene, that's terrible! I am so sorry that he had to pull out. A tough decision, but obviously the right call.

Anonymous said...

Agh, Sorry to read this! But it took just as much strength to (intelligently) decide to pull out at the right moment - it sounds like he made the right choice. It also sounds like he's a very strong (and fast!) runner and he'll meet those 26.2 soon enough!

Jason said...

My heart goes out for him, I know all to well what that is like. He will be back and better then ever.

Unknown said...

Poor Mark, I hope he gets better quickly!

joyRuN said...

Oh man :( I'm sorry to hear about his injury - hope he heals up & recovers soon!

Tim F said...

Hope he gets well soon!

Mark said...

I'm so sorry for him and hope he heals up quickly. He will be back!

Jen Feeny said...

OMG so sorry to hear!!! Take good care of him!!! :(

RunToTheFinish said...

aww so sorry to hear this. I know we have all had our days where it just didn't work out and he played it smarter than many of us. Can't wait to hear how the next attempt goes because we know there will be one!!

Marky Mark said...

I'm still feeling bad about this-hope the diagnosis and physio went well and that this is only a minor setback and disappointment.

Unknown said...

Sorry for the disappointment. His day will come, though.

J said...

So sorry to hear about Mark : ( Hopefully he feels a little better today.

Brian said...

My hopes for a speedy recovery go out to you, Mark! You'll get a marathon under your belt in no time!

Irish Cream said...

Aw, poor hubby! That sounds SO painful! Make sure to take good care of him!

Pulling out of a race is SUCH a tough decision to have to make--but he made the right decision. He will rebound from this and get that marathon finish . . . and it will be even sweeter when he does! I hope he gets well soon!!

Laura said...

Sorry if this is an annoying question, but how'd you put 2 sidelines on your blog? Like one on each side of your middle text? Does that make sense?

Laura said...

You're awesome! Thanks so much!

B.o.B. said...

Total bummer!!! I hope he is ok. It's a tough choice he made, but he is correct in making the right one. Better to fix it now and run stronger later.

ShirleyPerly said...

Bummer!! But certainly he made the wise choice to drop out. Plenty more races to run when he's back to 100% and I hope that will be soon!

yumke said...

Hey, thanks for the message. You and I both know that redemption is soooo sweet. I will probably be doing Mississauga so I'll see Mark speed away!

Nicole said...

Oh no! What a bummer! I hope he doesn't have a long-term injury and that the road to recovery is short. Maybe you guys can run your next marathon together?? That's secretly a dream of mine!

teacherwoman said...

OH no. Sorry to hear about his injury, but glad to hear his spirits are up. You're right. There will be another race.

N.D. said...

Oh man! That's a bummer. There will be another one. Rest up Mark!

Erika said...

Bummer! Hope he figures out the cause and heals quickly!

MCM Mama

Lindsay said...

major bummer!! :-/

hope all went/goes well at the doc. glad he was able to make the smart decision and pull out of the race before it got worse. we certainly all know how tough that is as a runner!