Day 95

This was the view during my run today...

22.5 miles in 55:00 ?!?

Alright alright, I confess. I didn't run today. My knee REALLY hurt (so strange how it feels fine one day and is excruciating the next). It was also super cold outside, so that didn't exactly make me eager to get out there either. Anna suggested that I substitute my run with spinning - since no classes worked with my schedule, I hopped on a spin bike and watched TV. I set the resistance low and tried to pedal at a decent pace... I was surprised that it was actually kind of hard, and most of all I was surprised how bored I was! I thought a change of scenery and being able to watch TV would be a treat. Wrong.

My plan was to spin for the same amount of time that it would have taken me to run 7 miles. I ended up being about ten minutes short of my goal, but I had to stop because... I had a massage scheduled!! After a quick shower I headed off to get my 60 minute deep tissue massage (thanks Mom!!!). It was not nearly as relaxing as I thought it would be. Honestly, I'd say it was about 90% pain, 10% relaxation. I told my massage therapist about my training and that my legs could probably use the most work. She started on my back and then said, "Has your lower back been hurting?" Well now that she mentioned it... yes, my back has been killing me after these long runs. Turns out I apparently have the world's biggest knot on the right-hand side of my lower back - same side my knee hurts... I wonder if there is any correlation there? In addition to working on the knots, she also smeared biofreeze all over my back... that stuff feels so weird! Anyway, by the time the massage was over I felt mentally exhausted from trying to divert my focus from the pain all hour long - hey, I suppose working through pain will come in handy during the marathon... can I count this as training too?

My night ended with another round of concert duty, followed by some negative comments from some disgruntled orchestra members that really ticked me off. Whatever. I just wish I were better at letting things like that roll off my shoulders.

Tomorrow I'm running again! You'll get proof, I promise.