56 days and $2985 to go!

Having problems with my right calf... Again!

Two weeks ago, Easter week, I got in some pretty good training. Four miles on Tuesday, seven miles on Wednesday, and three miles on Thursday. I am still walking one minute out of every ten to make sure I pace myself properly and to try to keep my calves from tightening up too much. I then took a break on Friday and was planning to run ten miles on Saturday morning while we were in Cincinnati for Easter weekend. The evening before the run, I went to the store to look for an electrolyte replacement drink, Gatorade or something like that. The drink I found that had the highest sodium and potassium content was a V-8 fruit and vegetable drink. So, I bought that.

My brother asked if I wanted to ride with him on Saturday as well. Never one to pass up an opportunity like that, I unhesitatingly said "yes". So, we set the time for the ride to be about an hour after I finished my run. I told him not to expect much from me after the long run. The run course consisted of two five mile "out and backs". It's a little disconcerting to return to the starting point after the first "out and back" only to realize that you are half done. But, this is the best way to ensure that I can drink enough fluids during a run of more than an hour. I completed the ten miles in a little under 2 hours, rested an hour, then rode to my brother's house to start our 10 o'clock ride.

I was more than a little tired, but he lives on one of the hills ringing the downtown Cincinnati area so the ride started with a long downhill. This was a good way to loosen my muscles after the long run earlier in the day. We rode around downtown Cincinnati, had a hamburger at Findlay Market and rode back up the hill. It was a total of about 20 miles. Needless to say, I rested on Sunday. Whew!

This past week, I managed a three mile run on Monday and a seven mile run on Wednesday. That last run left me hobbled for the rest of the week. I have been recuperating and stretching since then, trying to get my calf back in shape. Only 8 weeks to go. I had better rethink my training strategy, I'm not getting the longer runs because of my calf problems. I will finish the race in San Diego, the only question is: "What kind of shape will I be in at the finish?".