The universe is a vast and mysterious place.
Since the dawn of time, man has asked questions, and sought to understand these great mysteries. Questions like, "Why do two socks go into the laundry, and only one comes out?" and "If 7-eleven is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?" and "If it was only a three hour tour, why did Gilligan & the gang have all that stuff?" And, most recently, "Why, when I stop running for a few days to let an injury heal, do I wind up with even more injuries?"
Questions, my friends.
Originally, the problem was in my right calf, going down a little into my right Achilles tendon & heel, with a little twinge in my hamstring. When I went for a short run on Wednesday, there was new pain in my right quad & worse pain in the hamstring. While walking to work on Friday, I was struck by a searing, cramping pain in my right hip flexor area, and since Saturday morning I have had an aching, throbbing pain right smack-dab in the middle of my right Achilles tendon area that doesn't ever go away, even when I'm just sitting around (though walking makes it much worse).
I swear I have done nothing--not a damn thing--to bring these tribulations upon myself. Since Wednesday, the most active thing I've done is some gentle stretching and some ab work. I don't even trust my muscles to handle my usual strength exercises without something else imploding.
So, given that it's Saturday, my total mileage for the week so far stands at a whopping six miles, and I can't even sit on the couch without something hurting, it looks like Oakland may be more about having a good time and getting in a long(ish) run than attempting anything like a PR. At this point I'm just hoping I'll feel good enough to run the whole thing.
Add to the great mysteries of the universe, "Why can't I ever sign up for a half marathon without having a mini-disaster at the last minute?" I haven't had a solid 13.1 attempt since my current PR race in February of 2010. And I wasn't even training then.
Things to ponder.
So sorry things are going this way :( I can totally relate. The planets must be aligned in "hurt the runners" position or something...lots of us are hurting :(
ReplyDeleteHere's to having fun on the 25th...I'm going for that plan myself!
Hope you're feeling a whole lot better soon :)
A curse for sure. Somehow you need to train for a half without committing to one and sign up at the last minute.. Yeah, there are all kinds of problems with that but still. Sorry you are battling injury after injury. So frustrating. Hoping next weekend works out.
ReplyDeleteBlech, if I only knew the answer to this particular mystery ... I feel like when I rest because one thing is hurting, all the other niggling body parts are like, "WELL, we thought we could suck it up, but since you apparently don't need us after all....."
ReplyDeleteGlad to read that your test run over the weekend went well, though, and here's to having fun in Oakland! I plan on doing the same myself (running a yet-to-be-determined relay leg).
Lol....That's the best explanation I've heard so far!
ReplyDelete