Last Wednesday, I did something to my calf. Pulled, sprained, something. It wasn’t a sudden sharp pain, so I’m sure it’s not a tear, but after a tough run, I was limping for a day or so. A massage on Friday helped greatly, and relieved a bunch of knots, but there was still some soreness.
By this past Wednesday, it was better, so I climbed on the treadmill to run my scheduled 5 miler. Two miles in, I could feel a slight twinge in my leg. Rather than repeat the previous week’s mistake, I opted to stop.
I’d say this is a definite sign that I won’t be running 10 miles this weekend, however. And I’m scheduled to run a half marathon next weekend.
It’s too late to defer the race, so I have until race day to decide what I want to do. My options are:
- Attempt to run the race
- Attempt to walk the race
- DNS (Do/Did Not Start) and cheer on my friends through the race.
I’ve never made the decision to DNS a race. I did DNS my first scheduled half marathon, but that’s because I got a terrible stomach bug the night before the race. Running really wasn’t an option.
Even if my leg is suddenly magically healed by race day, I will be woefully undertrained. I haven’t done more than 8 miles in months, and that was a few weeks ago anyway. That sort of undertraining in itself can lead to injury.
So I think it’s pretty obvious which route I’m going to take on this one. I don’t like it, but sometimes you just have to be smart. My next race is after my cruise, so I can rest, maybe get in some running on the cruise (I have to do the Castaway Cay 5K!), and then get ready for the Baltimore Half on October 12. This way, I also won’t be screwing up marathon training too badly. But it’s still a bummer.
On the up side, this guarantees that I will be at the finish line to see Betsy finish her first half! That’s a pretty big perk.
I’m so sorry to read this! I know you must be disappointed but I think you’re making the right decision! Keeping your eye on the marathon training is a good idea!! Hang in there and heal quickly! 🙂
Thanks, Jennifer! I’m a bit bummed, but not too much, which tells me that my heart really wasn’t in this race to begin with. Besides, since I was undertrained anyway, I was going to be slow and likely finish after Betsy. This way, I get to see her cross the finish line of her first half marathon! Much better.