Day 37 - Slacking...

I feel like I've been slacking in many regards lately..... Now, I didn't slack off on our 8-miler yesterday, but I didn't get up today to do my weight work out. And although it seemed like a good idea at the time (5:15am) I'm regretting it now. I'm starting to feel just the slightest worn down, despite having great runs lately. Usually I feel run down (emotionally) when my running hasn't been going well. I guess it's a combination of the physical and emotional conditions. It's weird....I've felt good on my runs, but then as the day progresses little aches and pains surface. Lately it's been my right calf and shin. I've never had problems there, so it's just odd. Is it the increased mileage, is it the culmination of training, do I need new shoes? Is it normal to have aches and pains in week 10 of marathon training? I mean, do all runners have little nagging pains that bother them? And most importantly, will these little pains turn in to big pains that will keep me from completing the marathon? These are the questions that are floating around in my head and it's overwhelming. I must remember to breath though....and take one day at a time.

So yesterday I got up bright and early to head out on the 8-miler. The dingo was decked out in his newly-acquired collar with flashing lights and I had on my LED light/magnet. I got a number of compliments on the dingo's collar from fellow early-morning runners/dog walkers/ etc. And while we're on the topic of safety, I went ahead and ordered a Road ID for myself. After last week's accident, I'm not taking any chances! The nice people at Road ID sent me a coupon to share, for a $1 off of any purchase, when you use the code: ThanksNicole536067.
So anyway, the run was uneventful...except I hadn't been clearing out the data from my workouts on my Garmin and it shut off about 2 miles into the run. Bummer! Luckily, I had mapped out my route ahead of time. My right calf/ankle/shin hurt for the first 2-3 miles and then the pain subsided. While it was hurting though, I decided I was going to take today off and try to let it rest/heal. Which is really silly because when I do my weight workouts, I focus on my upper body and abs. My legs don't even get that much of a workout besides the warm up...but mentally I thought it would be good just to rest everything. Since G pooped out on me, I have no idea what my pace was, but I felt good and had plenty left to give in the end. Tomorrow will be another 5-miler and then I'll start looking forward to the LR on Saturday. Gosh, marathon training sure has a way of making the week fly by!