Rather Unproductive Run

I was sick and in bed all day Monday.  That meant obviously it wasn't a day to run.  Yesterday, I had the time to run and just didn't feel like it.  Today, it was more of the same.  Eventually, I got bored of sitting around though.  I reluctantly left the house to get outside for a run.  I was hoping maybe that would help.

I headed to Riverview Park for a short run.  After all, I still was unsure of how my leg would be since I've only run once in the last week.  It felt perfectly fine while walking around, but running would be a different test.

It's tough to say whether or not this is nice weather.  It was certainly warmer than in has been, as it was around 40 degrees.  However, it was overcast and foggy.  I guess that's better than some of our winter weather.  I was able to wear shorts and a lightweight jacket.  Another plus was that the trail was clear.

I took off nice and slowly.  The legs felt good in the early going as I headed toward the Boat Launch.  I saw a couple walkers along the way, including a few with dogs.  Not only did the body feel good initially, but it was well rested too.  The days off sure didn't hurt in that regard.

I got out a mile and felt fine.  It was much better than Sunday's run at that same point.  Then, around 1.5 miles to 2 miles, my leg started bothering me.  It was more of a stiffness than anything.  Now, I figured that I'd probably cut the run short at 3 miles.

I went out almost 2 miles before turning around.  An interesting thing happened at that point.  Between miles 2 and 3, the leg started to feel better.  Maybe it was due to the blood flow, but the stiffness wasn't as bad.  It was still there, but better anyway.

I decided to continue on.  By now, I was mostly just focused on the leg.  It didn't get any worse and if anything, it might've become a little better as I approached mile 3.  I didn't want to walk back to the car for almost a mile, so I opted to keep going.  I figured that I could get a 4th mile in without too much trouble.

It would've been nice if the stiffness completely left, but at least I was doing better.  The pace continued to be rather easy, slow and comfortable.  I ran a short out and back from Riverview to finish up.

It was nice to get the mileage done and see where I'm at physically.  Unfortunately, I'm not completely over the problem, but at least I'm doing okay and can move on.  I may have to start working in some cross training.  I still felt terrible mentally after the run, but oh well.  Maybe that will come back in the next few days.

I'm taking it day by day now and have absolutely no plans going forward.  If this injury persists, it won't be the worst timing.  I have no real goals or ambitions right now anyway.  There are a couple races coming up, but they don't really excite me.

4 miles - 36:44 (9:11 pace)