Yesterday I hauled my ass self away from the office with the intent of knocking out an 8 miler. Well, that didn’t happen. But it was a beautiful day in the CHI and the sun was trying to peak out!
I wasn’t very far at all when I realized that my legs were very fatigued. So I readjusted my goal from 8 miles to 6. Then I got to Oak Street beach and realized that I wanted to walk.
So I walked. And realized I was only 2.5 miles in and if I wanted to walk at this point, then I better just turn around and head back for the office cuz it wasn’t going to get better so I turned around and the now 6 miler turned into a 5.
In addition to the heavy fatigue, my right calf was also screaming talking to me. The good news is that the ankle which was bothering me last week was silent, unless I just couldn’t hear it’s whimpers over the screams of the calf muscle. I’m thinking that a 2013 edition of the Warm Your Heart rat maze will NOT be in the cards for Ms. TooTall. Yep, the aftermath on my body was too much for a 5K distance. Not worth it in my opinion. Too many hairpin turns. I’m coming off the Plantar Fasciitis injury and am still not 100% so it probably affected me more so than a healthy person. The calf muscle that was screaming after the Warm Your Heart race and also during this run, is the same one which was swollen and so damaged that it finally sent me to the doc for the Plantar Fasciitis in September. I know this is all related. That’s okay, it will bounce back and I’ll know better for next year.
In the interim, I enjoyed a nice run/walk thru the city. 
Chicago is getting ready for St Paddy’s Day!
So it was a good day to get out and enjoy the city but a very unproductive “run” per say. It’s okay, just a perfect excuse to take it easy the next couple of days in preparation for Sunday’s race in Miami. And fortunately, I have been doing this long enough to know that this will in NO WAY affect my performance. It’s just a bump in the road, the work has been done, the miles put in and I will be READY TO RUN a kick ass race on Sunday.
Cheers! Amanda – TooTallFritz
TooTallFritz 
Your a smart lady to heed those signs and just fall-back to walking or whatever felt comfortable and no more stress on the muscles that were talking to you. See…there is hope for us runners…if we listen to what your body is saying.
Your probably correct that all those 90-degree turn-backs in that 5k race put a lot of stress of those lower legs. Taking some days off or just walking won’t set you back, and you are absolutely correct that you have attained the training already, necessary to run your 1/2 in Miami. So, taper it and go into the race feeling fresh and strong.
One thing to consider if you are still dancing around with the PF or other aches and pains like the Frog, just start out (both training runs and races) slower than you normally do and allow your body to more gently ease into race pace. Ya, you will give up some time in the beginning, but it will go a long way to keeping your foot and lower leg muscles happier, and more capable of running harder and stronger at the end, which is the better place to be feeling and looking strong!
And, most of all…enjoy Miami and the balmy weather. Stay out of the ocean so you don’t risk getting bit by a shark, and don’t run along inland canals so you don’t get bit by a gator – LOL! Be prepared for rain!
If I still have any swelling or bruising on SUN, I think I will wear my CEP sleeves. Whatcha think? Please hope for coolish weather. That’s really my biggest concern. I tend to melt in the sun, my performance decreases fast and I get a horrible head splitting type headache. Hopefully with race starting at 6:13 am (5:13 am Chicago time), I will be done before it gets too warm.
That happens sometimes!! But at least you got to enjoy the beautiful city!! I’m wondering how that might affect my 7 miles for today. When I run downtown…I tend to stop and take pictures! lol. Slows up my run and I need to get back to catch a train!
Pingback: Walking weather is almost here! « What's Your Diet