Plans ... the Best Made Plans

It seemed like a perfect plan. I was going to run a 1/2 marathon in January of 2010. I had been a runner years ago, and had always wanted to get back into it. I did some reading, and found a plan for an "absolute beginner" to train for a 1/2 marathon in 35 weeks. It was a plan that used a run/walk method. It seemed ideal.

I walked for about 12 weeks before starting the plan, to build up a base. At the end of the 12 weeks of walking I walked a 5K, and had a pretty good time of 48 minutes.

I went to the running store, bought new running shoes, wrote all the workouts into my calendar up to next January in red pen.

Everything was going so well. I joined a running club, and practiced with them and ran/walked a 5K right at the time I was supposed to in the 35 week plan. My three sisters, all three of whom have run 1/2 marathons and marathons multiple times, were cheering for me and they all signed up for the event and were planning to accompany me, even at my very slow walk/run pace.

For my birthday they gave me running T shirts, and subscriptions to running magazines. I was very happy and excited and very motivated.

Then something unforeseen happened. Things did not go as planned.

I got the dreaded plantar fasciitis monster. It reared it's ugly head and has spoiled all my plans.

At first, I didn't think it was going to be a problem. I was having pain in the morning, and even though I read up on the injury, and understood that it usually tended to get worse and all that, I still proceeded on very optimistically, thinking that if just concentrated on having better form, perhaps it would take the pressure off the foot some and I could still carry out my plans.

When that didn't seem to be working, I next thought that perhaps if went back to run one minute/walk one minute, instead of run 2 minutes/walk 1 minute, it would ease the pressure enough to enable me to proceed with my plans.

But by the time I had increased my miles to 6 1/2 on my "long run" day, the problem was getting bad enough that I had to admit I was going to have to ease up on my training.

I next thought that if I took a week off, perhaps it would be enough so I could proceed with my plans.

At first, that seemed to help, but as soon as I got my miles up to about 4 miles, it became apparent that this plantar fasciitis was not going to let me increase my miles.

Now I am at the point where I can run/walk the distance of a 5K without making my foot worse (and it even feels like it may be improving). And on the long run day I can do about 4 miles, but that is it.

So, now my plans have been curtailed.

It is not the end of the world. But it is disappointing. For once I had been quite motivated and willing to do the work. It didn't seem fair. All these years sitting on the couch and thinking about getting out there, and you finally do it, and you think you're being realistic, and you think you're being conservative, and you think you're being smart, and guess what? Your body has other plans. Life has other plans. God has other plans.

I'm coming to terms with this. I am still going to show up at the 1/2 marathon, and I'm still going to take off from the starting line, but I have no idea what is going to happen. It is possible that I will have to drop out in order not to hurt my foot. That's okay. It's not how I envisioned this going, but it's okay. I can do a 1/2 marathon next year, perhaps.

But, having this experience under my belt, parallel to it I have been forming another plan. In fact, running the 1/2 marathon was part of this larger plan I have been formulating for a while. The larger plan concerns singing.

The last teacher I had suggested to me that it was not "too late" for me to go out and "do a little something" with my singing. This gave me the idea that maybe I would. I had thought it was too late to do anything because of my age, which is 48 right now. Hearing from this teacher that I could possibly still do something invigorated me.

So, I am getting in shape to go out and sing somewhere. Where, exactly, I'm not sure.

But I've been thinking about it all this time, and I've been talking about it with my current teacher, and it's coming more and more clear what I might want to do.

So, I drew up a plan, and I'm going to let you in on part of the plan tonight.

Up above is a picture of my plan. Some parts ore blurred out because I'm not ready for you to see that yet, but I'll let you see part of it.  In fact, if you've looked at the picture above, then you have seen it.

I am preparing kick off my plans to "do a little something:" with my singing on  my 50th birthday, which is in July of 2011.  It will be my "Coming Out Birthday Bash Recital."  You all are invited.  That's what I'm working toward right now.  I want to spend my 50s doing a little singing.  I had always thought it was too late.  But I've changed my mind and I'm going to try to do a little something.

But, like above, I am making the plans, and committing to the path, but, just like my plans to run the 1/2 marathon, I don't know what curves will be thrown at me along the way.  But that will be part of the fun of it.  It will be a learning experience and an adventure.

I invite you will follow along with me.