Missing my first marathon after training so hard...

Happylady123

My first marathon would have been three weeks away. I had done three 20 mile runs and was doing so well.. until I discovered I have a hernia. My surgery is Monday. I am disappointed. Okay, that is an understatement! I also have something going on with my left leg. I think it is a strained or pulled quad muscle. Has anyone else had this kind of setback? Anyone else had hernia surgery, and if so how long before I can think about running again?

SueInAz

I don't have experience with hernia surgery but I was able to get back to running, albeit slowly and not too far, just a couple of weeks after an emergency appendectomy in February. I'm sure your doctor will give you a timeline for activities after the surgery but keep in mind that everyone heals differently. Just listen to your body and back off when you feel sore.

cjohn2278

I have something in common with both of you! I had emergency appendectomy surgery in April and I now have a hernia that will hopefully be taken care of very soon (see the surgeon on Friday). I hope that you are able to get back up and running shortly...I know that I am not looking forward to another recovery period this year

ThickMcRunFast

This definitely sucks, but just listen to your doctor and come back slowly. There will always be another race to sign up for (which is hard to take when you've just watch 4 months of training go down the tubes, I know). If you come back too soon you risk really messing yourself up.

ContraryMaryMary

I missed a race earlier in the year after months of training. I was disappointed for a whole five minutes until I realised the training is the difficult bit - months of work versus a few hours on the race course. There are always lots of marathons to choose from throughout the year, so get back into training mode just as soon as you can and pick another marathon to run. Good luck!

cjohn2278

I missed a race earlier in the year after months of training. I was disappointed for a whole five minutes until I realised the training is the difficult bit - months of work versus a few hours on the race course. There are always lots of marathons to choose from throughout the year, so get back into training mode just as soon as you can and pick another marathon to run. Good luck!

Great advice!!!

Cyclingbonnie

I missed a race earlier in the year after months of training. I was disappointed for a whole five minutes until I realised the training is the difficult bit - months of work versus a few hours on the race course. There are always lots of marathons to choose from throughout the year, so get back into training mode just as soon as you can and pick another marathon to run. Good luck!

Yes, this.

jeepyj93

I trained so hard to be in the best race shape for Triathlon season only to miss it all due to injuries from over training.
I still can't run so I know how hard it is when you miss it like that.
Take care of yourself and make sure you clear it with your Dr before starting any training.

LeanButNotMean44

About 10 years ago, I ruptured my plantar fascia and had to miss a marathon for which I had been training the entire Summer, so I definitely can sympathize! Having to come back from that injury just made me even more motivated, and I went on to have my best year of running - PR's in the 5k, 10 mile, 1/2 Marathon, and Marathon distances. I feel like all of the training I had done for the marathon I missed still was tremendously helpful.

As the others have said, focus on a complete recovery. The marathon will always be there!

SueInAz

I missed a race earlier in the year after months of training. I was disappointed for a whole five minutes until I realised the training is the difficult bit - months of work versus a few hours on the race course. There are always lots of marathons to choose from throughout the year, so get back into training mode just as soon as you can and pick another marathon to run. Good luck!

Definitely good advice. I missed a 15K I'd been planning for that took place the week after my surgery. They have a team entry and I had to scramble to find a replacement runner for my team. Thankfully, it's a smaller race and they deferred my own entry to this year but I was definitely disappointed to miss out.