Uh-Oh...

I didn't make plans to run with David, but he and I both agreed that an easy 10-miler would be a good long run for what would essentially be the last run of the training cycle.  The race is less than a week away and I'll need to do some short runs this week to keep the legs awake, but the work is done at this point.  I set out in the early afternoon to do my lovely Freedom Park/Independence Park loop, which is actually about 10.4.

I made it a mile down the road and felt good.  I thought to myself that I may finally be able to report here that I felt fresh again.  I had thrown myself in the meat grinder and come out fine - for the most part - and I was ready to rest and get my mind ready for the big day.  I made the turn from Randolph onto Colville, then down Providence and towards Freedom Park.  Here I was less than four miles in and my left leg started to tingle and feel that numbing, dull ache again.  Come on!   This is getting old.  I stopped at a bench to re-lace the kicks and felt better at first.  I made it around the lake and to the 5-mile point and noted that I was running just over 7 minutes a mile and that it felt easy to most of the body.

Things began to unravel after that, however.  Shortly before I made it to the Metropolitan on the greenway, my left leg did that little dull ache/giveout thing that it had done the previous Wednesday, and I had to stop running.  I walked for a bit and tried not to freak out.  I re-laced the shoes - again - and spent a few minutes stretching my shin, calves, and groin.  I knew I needed to call it a day but I wanted to get closer to home before walking the rest of the way.

I started running again after I passed the Metropolitan and felt OK at first.  Come on...we have come so far...just give me one more week... I stopped to stretch at least once more, made it through Independence Park in a bit of pain but still running well, and then things got worse, once again.

I was a little over a mile from home when my left knee started to hurt, the dull ache came back, and my shin fell in again.  I did the stretching/re-lacing routine again, only this time when I set out to trot the leg said, "Uh-uh, big guy.  We're not doin' this any more."  I was done for the day and tried to compose myself as I walked the remaining mile-and-a-half home. 

It was time to come up with a plan to run through this thing - if possible.