According to Wikipedia, this is what a holding pattern looks like. I'm not a pilot, but we've all flown in a plane and circled forever before the big landing. It stinks. And thus, this is where I find myself. On hold.
My taper for Chicago has been less than ideal. Week one of the three week taper ended with a grand total of 4 instead of 42 miles. My range of motion was limited and even a cough hurt. So I decided to shut it down until Friday when I tried a four miler. The run went fine, I did an easy 8:42 pace and while I was stiff nothing hurt. Until I woke up on Sunday in just as much pain as the previous Monday. I woke up swearing. Getting injured while running is one thing, but falling on the way home from work and possible missing the most important race of my short racing career just blows. So I shut it down for one more week.
This past week I have not run a single step. I've replaced it with walking so my fitness doesn't go all to hell. Four miles on Sunday to and from the farmer's market. Then six miles on Monday, Wednesday and today. That totals 22 miles of walking. Pfitz calls for 32 miles of running this week. I have felt better each day. Don't ask my wife about that though. I have been a bear to live with this week. A grizzly to be exact. I love her for putting up with my unexcused mania. My mom has been checking in with me more than usual and telling me to go to the doctor. That would do no good as I see it. Yes, I'm stubborn. People I've talked to say all of my symptoms point to soft tissue injury. I agree and think it just needs time.
I'm just scared to push it too early. Any further injury will sure doom Chicago in nine days. Two of buddies that are also running Chicago have turned up with colds this week. I wish that was my problem...sort of. I have no idea what this has done to my fitness. Daily googling for someone in my exact position has turned up nothing. So the big test will be Sunday's scheduled run of 12 miles. If all goes well I'll put in 34 miles this week (with 22.6 of them walking). I'm sure the run will be fine. It's Monday morning that I dread since that is when the pain hit last time. All I need is the last week of running the taper to put my confidence back in place.
