"Run Forest, Run!"

I go out for jogs here and there. I usually get a wild hair up the butt and run pretty consistently for 3 weeks. Then the laziness sets in and I stop running for about 9 months. This cycle repeats itself and right now I'm on my 4th iteration of it. I've always wanted to be more disciplined and keep myself running on a more consistent basis, so this year I thought I'd do something different.

A friend of mine planted a seed in my brain about an upcoming half marathon she was going to run. She asked if anyone else wanted to join her. I dismissed it quickly, but the idea remained in my head. I started thinking about it obsessively for a week or two. Finally, I got online and registered for the race.

I figure if I'm monetarily committed (it cost me $53 to sign up) I'll be more disciplined and train on a regular basis.

Mistake?

So now I'm 3 weeks into my training. I run three times during the week (Tue, Wed, Thurs). Tuesday and Thursday are short, Wednesday is a little longer. Then I run really far on Saturday. My last Saturday run was 9 miles. I'm doing well, I've been keeping up with it, and yesterday I even ran in the rain. I'm committed... Until today.

The wear and tear was creeping up on me. I could feel my legs hurting more and more as I got deeper into my training. Today, my knee that had an ACL replaced in my high school years (and has never bothered me since), is the size of a grapefruit. Along with that, my calf on that same leg hurts to the touch.

I have 10 miles to run on Saturday, and 3 to run tonight. I think I'll have to skip the 3 tonight and try to make the 10 on Saturday. If I'm still sore Saturday, I may run the 10 on Sunday. Hopefully this all passes, and I'll be able to run my half marathon in September.

Hopefully this isn't the beginning of my 9 months of laziness.