Mid Summer Blahs, Cool-Wet Doldrums

I don't know what it is, but my legs (and feet) just feel awful. And it's been that way for weeks now. June was kind of a cutback month mileage wise and I focused on getting some quality workouts and races. I felt good throughout. Then I shifted to easing toward more miles, without much fast running, in July but I haven't been able to climb beyond about an hour a day of running. That's not bad, but if I had any ambition to run a marathon in the fall 50-60 min with a long run of 1:30 to 1:45 is simply not enough. So for now my quads are dead, left heel has been off and on sore for the past 10 days (achilles), right heel has been chronically sore (flexor rectinaculum I think) since early May. It's a lot like plantar fasciitis, but the pain goes from my heel more toward the top of the foot, not across the bottom. Meanwhile I've had some shooting pain in my right knee (the arthritis thing), but that only happens when I really push it with a longer run. But yesterday my entire leg spazzed out a bit (sciatic!?) on a 70 min recovery run. Falling apart.

So I'm rollerskiing a little more, and should be biking. Keeping it together for Santa Claus Half should be okay, and hope to do the 10K at Senior Games, but anything beyond that is very much up in the air.

Helped out at Gold Discovery Run for the 6.75 mile aid station. I kind of wanted to run, as  I mentioned the other week, but decided going for a decent time for the half marathon seemed like a better choice. I'm glad not to be hobbling today. Still it was fun participating as support and to encourage the runners. They had some logistical problems due to broken down buses, and we were low on cups (but worked around that by playing musical cups: we took the 14 mile station's cups, and then they got more from the finish line crew).

Could not believe it when some ATVs went up the trail; and was flabblergasted when something like 15 or 20 jeeps lined up. Fortunately, only three runners remained on the course by then. That's something for RDs to think about because it would be a real mess if there were 70 or 100 runners out on the course when the jeeps came barreling through on the path.

Finally, all this rain is getting to me. Not too bad, but it would be nice to have a few weeks of drier days.