The Waiting is the Hardest Part...

Good evening sports fans

The song lyric of the week: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "The Waiting is the hardest part..."

Last week, I had my visit to the endocrine specialist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. We went through a complete history of my running, health, various tests, etc. The doctor's initial reaction was not exactly what I wanted to hear: In a nutshell, she said that some people are genetically predisposed to stress fractures due to low bone density and I may be one of them. Indeed, her words were "this probably not what you were hoping to hear." She said it was no coincidence that my first stress fracture was in my 40's. She also thought that running 60 miles a week may not necessarily be in my future. Again, not what I want to hear.

But, she did want to rule out other things and did agree that my bone density was dropping and I have low vitamin D levels. So I took another battery of blood tests. Ready for the list? Iron, Transferrin, Ferritin, T Transglutaminase (TTG), TSH, T4 free, comprehensive metabolic panel w EGFR, CBC with differential and platelet, C Telopeptide, Alkaline Phosphatase, PTH intact, Protein Electrophoresis, and Immunofixation Electrophoresis.

So now I'm waiting for the results of those tests.

Meanwhile, the orthopedist wrote a prescription for a follow up MRI, which is scheduled for next Wednesday. I see the ortho next Thursday. Hopefully the MRI will show good news.

Meanwhile, not all is gloom and doom. I ran Monday and Tuesday and barely felt anything at all in the pelvic region. So that is great news. Indeed, I felt so good on Monday that I was about two miles into my run before I even bothered to look at my watch; and would you believe I was running 7:15s? It felt REALLY good. Of course, I was a bit sore the next day. But this was the good kind of sore -- in the quads, from running harder than I've done in months. I was back to a slower pace on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, my long run will go up to 8 miles this weekend. I figure I'll do a slow progression of long runs 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20. This puts the 20 miler during the last weekend of March -- just in time to taper for Boston. Oh well, at least I'll have one 20 miler in the bank which should get me through Boston -- it won't be my fastest marathon but I should avoid both the DNS and the DNF.

Even if the MRI shows me 100% healed, I think I'll stick to this conversative schedule. I've already written off racing Boston. And truth be told, I'm actually kinda excited about taking it a bit slow. I think I'll bring my camera and take pictures and videos along the way. And then, with any luck, I'll resume full training in the summer with XMP for the 2013 Marine Corps marathon.

So here I am sports fans, waiting. Waiting for the endocrinologist to call about my blood tests. Waiting for the MRI. Waiting for the orthopedist.

But also waiting for my 8 miler this weekend (which will be my longest run since August). Heck, just waiting for my next run.

I guess, maybe, it isn't so hard...