2.84 in 30:16

Please feel free to use your favorite long string of expletives, colorful ones, vulgar ones, forceful ones and then attribute them all to me and my current state of mind. Seriously, it's a free ticket to be wildly profane and pass it off as empathy when those around you look shocked and dismayed.

So, you ask, "What's up with the vulgarity voucher? Why do we get the pass on your behalf?" Well friends, I say with bitter sarcasm, I re-injured the left calf muscle that I pulled just about a month ago…it's true. I did not go on a 20 mile run up and down the side of a cliff. I did not try to run hill repeats at a 6 minute pace. I didn't even kick my neighbor's dog…no, I ran 1200 meters at my 10 K pace on a track in my racing flats.


Apparently despite the fact that I haven't heard a peep from my calf in a week I am not yet ready to return to running in racing flats even for the shortest of distances and for discovering that fact I was handsomely rewarded with a 2.84 mile run this morning that took me 30 minutes and 16 seconds to complete before hanging my head, turning around and trudging back to my car at a 20 minute 16 second per mile pace…FYI, that's slower than my "out of my mind delirious shuffle", which I perfected at IMAZ this year. Oh, and yes, the 20:16…uncomfortable.

So…16 days and 13 hours to Ironman. It took me about 20 days before I could run comfortably for long distances when I last pulled it on July 14th though this one doesn't feel quite as bad. Will I make it? I mean will I be able to run at IMKY or will I be looking at a nearly 9 hour walking marathon? I am fortunate in that I should still finish under 17 hours even with a 9 hour marathon assuming everything holds up but I was really hoping for something more in the 13+ hour range.









Oh well, I suppose there's nothing left but to fix my eyes on the finish line and forge ahead. It's what I do, it's who I am…Mr. Grin and Bear it.