You won’t be hearing from Mikie Marathoner for a while

Yep, it is going to be a while before I run another race. The day before Thanksgiving, I fell off a ladder, and landed on my ankle and back. When I got up, I noticed my ankle hurting quite a bit. I iced it and woke the next morning feeling pretty good. My oldest son (Cameron) and I were running in a 5K Turkey Trot in Boulder to raise money and food for those less fortunate. As I warmed up, I noticed that my ankle felt fine but my back was very tight and sore. Well, being a good soldier, I ran the race and as the day wore on, my back seized up into full spasms. At the beginning of this month, I started having severe sciatica pain down to my ankle. Well, it is now December 16th and I am not much better. Why, because it turns out that I have herniated a disc in my back severely compressing my 4th lumbar nerve root. It appears I will be going in for back surgery over the break to repair this problem. I consulted with the neurosurgeon today and I am on “roids” for a while and then surgery on December 29th.

So…. It appears that after 32 half marathons, my goal of running 100 half marathons by my 67th birthday will have to be put on hold for a period of time. What is even more disappointing to me is to have to stop our “Running to Raise Riches” program for my school. We have raised over $4,200 in just three races!!!. Running on behalf of our school has inspired me to work hard and to stay the course. But it is what it is.

As I headed to the surgeon’s office today, you might imagine my greatest fear: I do not want to hear the words that I should never run again. For an obsessive-compulsive person like me, that would be devastating. Thank goodness, he did not say that but I am not to run for at least three months.

Gary Player, the great golfer, once said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” Well, that is what I am going to do and hope will occur. I have had my pity party (last night), now it is time to move on. Each of us must have a mountain to climb, so my new one is before me. I simply must stay the course and stay focused on the short-term realities to meet the long-term objectives. In addition, and most important, I must stay confident. I know that if I think I can (The Little Engine that Could), I can.

Thank you for your support and prayers!