“A pair of star-cross’d lovers”

-Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

The Marine Corps Marathon has special meaning to me. My father was in the military, the Air Force. He’s a Vietnam vet who served during war time on our soil. He was one of the lucky ones. My grandfather was in the Navy as was my cousin. I have a very close girlfriend who is in the Air Force. My sister’s husband is a fighter pilot. Obviously, Navy Steve is a military guy. I have many co-workers and friends who have also served in one of the branches. I, myself, regret not going to the Air Force Academy as I had one time thought about doing. My eighteen year-old id got in the way.


All that being said, I am proud to be an American. No matter what our politicians and leaders decide, I try to remember just how good I actually have it as an American. Sure, we can all bitch and moan about taxes and civil rights, but honestly, it could be much, much worse. My girlfriend in the military and I jokingly call ourselves “girl scouts.” We say this because we are always looking at the positive side of things and are very patriotic. She of course, serves our country every day and I’m just proud to know her.

Where am I going with all of this? Well, it seems as though my reoccurring tendinitis is back and it threatens my chances of running the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) yet again. This is the same injury that prevented me from running in it last year. Just as Romeo and Juliet were star cross’d, MCM and I all seem to be ill fated lovers.

This injury has, of course, come back by way of too many hills and not resting. While it didn’t bother me during the triathlon, I had taken a week off prior to the race. As I type this today, it gives me a twinge every now and again and I’m not quite sure how long I can rest before it begins to impede my training schedule.

My flight to DC is booked, my registration paid for. My hotel is in the works. And my travel companion, the ever lovely D, is ready to go. Regardless of if I can run, I’m going to MCM. The entire point of my going to this marathon is to share in the camaraderie of being in our nation’s capital, celebrating with members of the armed forces and honoring those who serve. To read the story of how this marathon got started in and of itself is inspiring (MCM Story).

I am doing what I need to do to heal and get to the starting line. I made an appointment with a podiatrist, just to see if I can prevent this in the future. Even if I can’t run MCM I would like to prevent a third cycle of Old Wonky. I will continue to ice, rest, compress, and elevate. What I won’t be doing, is sitting around, having a pity party. I’ll be a lean, mean, cross training machine. And I will be remember those who have served and who currently serve. I can stand a little tendinitis as compared to what servicemen and women have done for me.

As for my Romeo and Juliet analogy, don’t worry, I won’t be heading to an apothecary, unless it’s for NSAIDs and a magazine to read on the plane.