Week 7 & Week 8 - Facing the Cold, Hard Truth

  This is a mix of both week 7 and 8 since as I am currently in week 8 but I've decided it would be a smart idea to take a week off from running. These aches and pains in my right quadricep that radiates around to my piriformis and down to my lower adductor just isn't going away. It is currently runnable, but that's not the point, I'm concerned with later in the game. It might be runnable now but what about when my weekly mileage reaches 40? I'd be a couple months away from the marathon and taken out by a serious injury demanding I take months off. So it's better I take off now and try and let whatever this is heal and start off slow and easy again, a 50 miler by next Spring isn't going to happen for me and I can't even promise the Indy Monumental Marathon this year. It's going to be really hard preparing for anything, if I can even make it to the Honest Abe Trail Marathon in September I would most certainly need 2-3 weeks off after that.
  I just have to be honest with myself, and most importantly realistic. I'm going to have to start off small again, rack up a few half marathons over the next year before chasing marathons and then hopefully someday completing a 50 mile race. I'm going to try and not let this drag me down, I really want to get back to running marathons again but I have to be patient (NOT one of my virtues).
Last week seemed hopeful.
Tuesday I did some back with squats and leg press. 

Later that day I was able to leave the shop and take Jetta for a run, things seem okay but sore from the squats and leg press so I wasn't surprised.

Wednesday and Thursday I think I did some abdominals strengthening but can't remember. Friday morning I went to the gym, focusing on shoulders.

Afterwards, I decided to go home and take Jetta for a quick run. Again I really didn't have any issues with this run, tiny bit of soreness and stiffness but nothing else.

This stuff is amazing by the way, the Super Herb Plus muscle rub. I haven't really used the Chill AF Muscle Rub yet since it's cold outside but I have a feeling I'll be using it a lot during summer. 

Saturday I was still feeling okay so I took Dorian and the dogs for a hike up at Lincoln State Park. We covered 5.3 miles and the last half of the 

Honest Able Trail Marathon.

Sunday was a late start, I was debating on doing any running and considered taking a rest day and not pushing it. Well it started snowing and I started to think about the trails and what they would look like with a bit of snow, so after I fixed breakfast and all, I took the dogs to Lincoln State Park.

I tried desparately to get these two stupid dogs to look at the camera with me, you can tell I was exhausted from the 5 minute struggle with them. And of course by this point I was being pelted in the face and eyes by ice pellets.

 So that was week 7, I was feeling somewhat hopeful by the end of Sunday and even Monday when I went in for a massage appointment.
Tuesday I headed to the gym for back day, and then spent 10 minutes in the sauna trying to entertain myself.

Wednesday was when all my hopes were torn apart, I was able to go for a run before I had to pick Dorian up, the first 2 miles were awful and I couldn't get my stride or gait right. I felt like my lower half was running crooked and my upper half was straight. It was so disheartening and frustrating I was seriously thinking about getting home and cutting slashes into my legs, I hate them so much. Between mile 3 and 4 things eased up a little but the final 1.2 mile was a tempo just to get back to my son's school in time.

Thursday I went to the gym to work the shoulders, the aches and stiffness in my quads and adductors were driving me insane. At the end I went over to the adductor/abductor machine to work them.... I was so pissed off.

So it's Friday now, I've been foam rolling and stretching and using my Super Herbs Plus rub. I just have a minor ache in my quad, especially when I pick it up off the ground. I am going to take a week off from running and pray for a miracle.