I'm listening...

With my third attempt at training for a half marathon scuttled by yet a third injury, I’m convinced someone, somewhere, is trying to tell me something. The sad part is, like the last layoff, this injury had nothing to do with running. Let’s be frank for a second, people have problems and in relative terms, this latest setback is more of a nuisance than anything else, but still, having to deal with this during my favourite time of the running season is just not fair.

I have no idea how I did this to myself and that tends to make avoiding a similar fate in the future a little more complicated, if not bothersome. All I know is one day I was fine, the next day I was not. I woke up one Saturday morning and had my sciatic nerve introduced to me in a rather abrupt and intrusive way. As the aching continued throughout the day, I had hoped that our usual Sunday run would straighten things out for me, just like it had so many times before. Since hurting my back in March, the ability to settle into a run has brought me the most physical comfort - I could hardly walk, but get me running for ten minutes and you’d question whether I ever suffered from an injury at all. According to my chiropractor (a.k.a. my miracle worker), the act of running helped my first back injury because everything loosened-up as I was hitting my stride - this injury, not so much. I woke up the next day, got dressed for the run, but eight minutes into it, I was done and I limped back home wondering what it was that was trying to invade my running time and more importantly, how long would it be visiting?

I’m told it will take another four to six weeks of recovery so that blows all chances of tackling the half marathon this Fall, but by my calculations, I will have about a month to prepare for the 10-K event in mid-October. See you in Charlottetown.

And next time, whomever you are, speak up so I can hear you.

The January blahs...

The presents have been opened, the turkey long finished, family members have all gone home. The post-Christmas January blahs have begun to set in.

No, you're not reading an old entry and no, I don't think I'm losing my mind, but the end of the Tely 10 Road Race, is for me, akin to the end of Christmas and all the celebration that surrounds it.

I have been keeping my mind busy with the memories of being a part of something really special just a couple of weeks ago. Along with my wife and family, eighteen of my co-workers, most of whom have only been running since January, participated in and finished the 10-mile race - a truly incredible and inspirational accomplishment.

Well done gang. Be proud of what you've done, brag about it at every opportunity, and never forget the feelings you experienced as you made your way down Bannerman Road - even greater days await us in the future.

I guess it's time to take the tree down.