Whiiiiine!

I am SO sore. Like, fatigued sore, which is followed by the other kind of sore all over my body yesterday. I didn't run yesterday but did an hour on the bike and elliptical.

I decided not to run because I felt the need for a "rest" day from running. By that I mean I was feeling mysterious leg pain I wasn't willing to explore by further aggravating it. After a helpful conversation with a gym-going friend, I have concluded that the issue is running on our little suspended track along the periphery of our basketball courts. My IT band injury first became apparent when I ran a 4-mile trail stretch along the side of a hill--the same sort of scenario of repeatedly doing this lopsided stride. She recommended sticking to the dreaded treadmill unless it's just a short warm-up jog.

Anyway. So today I HAD to run, despite feeling even less up to it than I did yesterday. I want to listen to my body and be less obsessive about getting my miles in than I was the last time around, but I also know it's a slippery slope to start letting every ache and pain count as an excuse not to run. Two days in a row of not running would indubitably sap my training momentum.

Having voiced all my complaints, I will now proceed to the exciting things about today: 1) I ran 2 out of my planned 3-miler at a 10 min./mile pace. Intentionally slow to accommodate the day's wussiness. I had convinced myself it was ok to quit at 2. But then I remembered how I once told myself "almost there" at the halfway point of a 26.2-mile race. The last mile seemed like a walk in the park. Since when did I quit with an f*ing MILE to go? So I ran the last mile, starting at a 9 min./mile pace (which I find much more challenging on the treadmill than in real life) and kicking it into somewhere between an 8.5 and 8 minute mile for the second half of the mile. I don't know if progressively speeding up at the end of each run is an odd practice, but it seems reflective of racing to me so I do it. 2) We had a really awkward substitute yogi today in yoga who totally kicked our asses. Like I said, I started out exhausted and sore. Somehow, though, he lulled me into bending and flexing beyond anything I usually do, even on a "good" yoga day. My butt muscles are toast.

Reflecting on the badass-ness of my workout today (all things considered), I am feeling much more appreciation for the pain I feel in my everything. It's well-earned!