Playing It Tough

As runners, one of our greatest fears is the I-list, which puts down for us – in black and white – why we cannot run. Even though I’ve had a few setbacks over the past 6 months, I hadn’t actually been added to the list. No, my time off was self-imposed because I wasn’t enjoy running; it was hurting and I needed the time away to heal so that I could later run pain-free.

After last Friday’s race, I thought that it might be time to hang up my shoes again for a while so, when I went out for a run on Sunday, I played close attention to the feel of my run. Little Ironman hopped into the jogger and the two of us set out. The first two miles were tough, but I attributed this to the slight downhill and the fact that I was pushing 67 pounds. After I warmed up and headed towards the long uphill along the third mile, I thought that my leg was fine after all, and it continued to feel fine for the rest of my run.

But that night it didn’t feel right; it was tight. So I made the big announcement the next day: I’m not running for at least two weeks – until it doesn’t hurt anymore.

This was an especially tough decision. First, I was planning to run the Ontario Masters 10K Championships next week; now, I might just go to spectate or volunteer. This is the first week of summer holiday and I had been looking forward to hot-weather running during my time off work; I crossing my fingers these sunny days will last for more than a few weeks. And, finally, my marathon goal is now 14 weeks away, making it look more and more like a half-marathon goal.

At physio today, my therapist was shocked to hear that I still hadn’t run. I’ve been tempted; after all, I’m not injured; I just have a strain. But that strain has greatly improved in the past week as Gastroc has regained his full range of movement and only the front of my knee is still tender.

Progress? Yes. But it’s tough. If you want to win, you’ve got to play the game.