In the list of stupid things I’ve done, racing a 5k while still in injured mode ranks right up there.  Running too much in the days after?  Double, triple stupid.  So here’s what’s been going on.

The morning of the race, I felt better than I had in a couple weeks, confident that I was on the road to repair.  The evening after the race, however, the old tension returned to my leg bringing some knee tightness as well.

The next morning, Sunday, I was super excited for a running/brunch date with my long-time imaginary forum friend, Chris, who just moved to Pennsylvania.  It was a blast spending time with him but we ran 9 miles which, considering my bum leg, was too far.  Additionally, we found ourselves in the midst of a huge AIDS walk, so two of those miles was all about sidestepping people, jumping up on the grassy, bumpy edge of the path, etc.  I made Chris stop with me a few times to stretch but even so, couldn’t get my leg to release – it was a painful run from start to finish.

Then comes Monday and Tuesday.  I fully expected the leg to settle down back to Saturday morning’s level and with that, I carelessly contributed more to the Stupid pile by doing two days of doubles.  They were short doubles, 5-milers per run, but I’ve since realized that my idea of short is colored by my mileage history and that one 5-miler/day should have been my limit till I felt better.

The thing that’s keeping me in this state of disrepair is one stupid word: Urgency.  It’s the word that reminds me how time is zapping by and with it, any speed gains I built the last few months.  It’s the word that taunts me with the races I’ve had to bag already and the ones still on the list that, if I can do them, will be quite a bit slower than what I imagined when I signed up for them. It’s a word that makes my kick-ass summer of 90-mile weeks feel like a “Get Well” balloon deflating before my eyes…one big pffffft.

I finally let that word go, it hadn’t been doing me any favors.  I’ve been off since Wednesday, so this is rest day #3.  I’m hopeful that tomorrow I’ll be able to go for a run but I’m not going to push it.  Last night I had a bit of a tearful breakdown but I’m feeling better now and more Que Sera, Sera about it. I’m certainly not the first runner whose plans have been derailed by a body part and I’m not likely to be the last.

Needless to say, I’m not racing this weekend and I probably won’t do the 10k on November 6th either – I already wasted a good amount of money on canceled races and the cost of a Zipcar for the 10k will be about $40.  I’m thinking it’s best to concentrate on getting strong and racing again in a month when I’ve got the Philly Marathon 8k.

On the positive side, last month was my true goal race for the season and though I’d hoped I could get faster for Vegas, the Philly Half was the one that mattered.  I got my long awaited PR, so with that in mind my Fall was a success.  I truly believe that.  And I’m also confident that next Spring will bring faster times.  I know I have it in me now and that’s gold.

As far as getting more ART done, I’m foregoing it because my insurance doesn’t cover it and it seems too late to make up the lost time anyway.  Vegas is going to be a social gathering on a grand scale anyway, so it’ll be a wonderful holiday even with a “fun run” of a race.

Aside from that, I added a bunch of new cute headband designs to Girl In Motion Headbands so take a peek if you haven’t already, here’s a link to the new stuff.

OK, have a great weekend all, run well and if you’re racing, have a great one!

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