Distractions

So over the past few weeks my training has gone to hell. We went out of town two weekends in a row for family reasons. I couldn't train on those weekends. during the weeks between I ran, but pulled my right calf muscle. This is hugely frustrating as it was my left calf muscle I pulled before. Now both legs are gimpy.

I wasn't able to run this week because of work. I've been working long, long hours at work and not getting much rest. By the time I get home I'm so exhausted I just want to go to bed.

My race is in a week. I am not ready, as usual. I am injured, not as usual. Adding the injuries to the lack of adequate training is a new problem. I'll likely be running this one wearing a calf sleeve on both legs. Somehow I'm going to have to improve the condition of both my calves for future races. And in the meantime, I'm likely going to run a lousy time in this race due to the lack of training, the abundance of injuries, and the surprisingly hot, humid Spring we're having here.

It's so much hotter than it usually is this early. It feels July already, with the heat so hot you sunburn just working in the yard for a short time and the humidity so nasty that you can't step outside to get your mail without soaking your shirt with sweat. Last year's Cotton Row Run was a disaster for me because of the surprisingly hot weather and extreme humidity. I nearly died in that one. Crossing the finish line without walking was all I could do, and that's pretty sad.

Anyway, I have one week left to do whatever I can training-wise. What I really need is to run outside in the heat and just try to get my body more accustomed to it, even if I can't go very fast.

In other news, my mother-in-law is in town, staying at our house, attempting to boss me around with obvious contempt, and generally making me want to throw her out and lock our doors. What is it with mother-in-laws that they can't visit and be grateful instead of making everything into a battle?