Dogs That Bite and Other Tales of Woe

As a runner you learn quickly how your best laid plans can go by the wayside.  Doubly so if you also work, or are a parent, or both.  Last week was supposed to be my first 4 day running week.  In reality, it was only a 3 day running week AND I didn't even hit double digit mileage.

Thursday night T. got sick and she stayed that way until this morning.  She still has a cough, but thankfully the fever has broken and her spirit has returned.  That has meant 4 sleepless nights and I was way too tired to run my 6 miles Saturday.  Originally I thought I might squeeze in 2 or 3 miles Saturday and push my long run to Sunday.  What happened instead is that I ran 0 miles Saturday. 

Sunday afternoon I set out to run 6 or 7 miles, so that I could at least maintain my double digits for the week.  It was gorgeous outside!  Sunny, blue skies, and 59 degrees.  3 days earlier it was only 3 degrees outside and yesterday was 59!!  It felt fabulous.  And then at 0.3 miles in I was attacked by a dog!  Don't be too alarmed, it was just a little bichon frise...but it ran straight out of it's yard, barking and biting at my ankles, without an owner anywhere in sight.  He didn't get my skin, but he sure did bite my shoe and pants.  For some reason my brain thought an appropriate response was "Hey!  Hey!  Calm down now!  You just calm down!".  He did go back to his yard for some reason (which I doubt had anything to do with my attempt to reason with him) and I did NOT run back past that yard.  Yes, I know it was a little dog but I bet it would have hurt if he had gotten my skin!

Anyway, I continue tooling along until about a mile in where my calves begin to hurt.  Again.  Not really the back of my leg where the bulk of the muscle is, but down the inside of my leg.  I start to picture stress fractures and my legs splintering apart in mid-step and other horrid things.  And when I get back to my car at the 2.5 mile mark for a water stop, I just decide I can't keep going.  My legs were hurting so bad!  And they continued to hurt the rest of the night.  This has been going on a couple weeks now and I'm starting to wonder if maybe it's time to go to the doctor, just to make sure there's nothing really serious going on.

I am going to set out to run 2-3 miles tonight and see how the calves/legs do.  Just a few short weeks ago I could run 6 miles at a time without pain, and now I can hardly walk the rest of the night after running 2.5.  Today I'm feeling discouraged about my chances for a PR in May...boo!