[backpost] up to the injury -- Mar. 23~26

This was a scary development, and I'm still feeling it even now.

March 23/Wed. morning run (8.23 miles @ 7:45 pace) on local roads -- by which I usually mean some part of the geoHannum/Rural loop -- went well enough, so I felt recovered from St Pats and ready for what was going to be my last long slow one before the marathon.

March 25/ Fri. morning went out for a short tempo run on the same loop -- 5.72 miles @ 7:22, with two miles at 6:45. Then in the evening did the same route again for the double, steady pace overall for 5.73 miles @ 7:38.

So far so good.

Saturday, all ready for a great new long route I'd planned -- basically out to the mall via the railtrail and other bits, then back. it was going great, TOO well: I was having trouble convincing myself to run at marathon pace, especially once I hit the flat straight rail trail (was doing mainly sub-7:00s). As I approached the mall, about 11 miles in, I saw the big rocks next to the rail trail and figured I'd rock hop to break up the rhythm a bit. *BAD* idea.

Misjudged one distance between rocks, landed a tip toe about six inches above ground and couldn't hold it, ripped down to ground. Right achilles, ankle strap, calf and hamstring all shrieked. Too angry with self to stop and anyway miles from home, so I jogged gently for a bit, and thought maybe I'd be okay, mainly. But as the next few miles went by it got more and more painful. Finally at 16.41 I stopped clock and sat down to rethink. Ended up jogging the next four miles making it almost all the way home, then stopped the clock for good, packed snow into sock and walked.

That was it for March. Best solution = rest, ice, compress, elevate.

update -- some backpost entries coming

It's been a long time since I did a regular entry on this blog. I've been using RunKeeper for almost a year now, and that, my iPod and Twitter, have meant that regular posting of runs is done there, in RK format, and with its own comment setup. This takes care of the social aspect (sharing and mutual encouragement) and the basic data storage -- even routes, if I enter them manually. But it leaves a hole in the sense that there is no place for a ruminative run report or race report.

So, I think that I'll be keeping with this blog, though I may start using (on and off) weekly rather than daily reporting. I'll have to see. To catch up right now -- my last regular entry being March 20, a month and a half ago -- I'll use a mix of consolidated and individual, I think. After that, now that the semester's mostly over I hope to get back into a better writing pattern. I'm certainly in need of more reflection and planning if I want to break 3:15 for the fall marathon and get a good trail ultra in.