Taking a Break

It's been two days since the Warrior Dash race, and it's been four days since I've had a real run.  I'm trying to be ok with this whole resting thing.

I'm not going to lie, part of the reason I run is because I'm terrified of gaining weight.  So if I don't run for a couple days, in my deluded mind, I feel like I've gained 50 pounds.

I really wanted to run today but I'm still very sore from the Warrior Dash.  It's mostly the back of my arms, but considering that I've had trouble even opening doors, I figured I could justify skipping today's run.

The other, more concerning reason, is that I've been having consistent calf pain for almost three weeks.  It's not severe, and I suspect that its just my legs getting used to my attempts to improve my form.  But my approach to pain management in the past hasn't been the best.  I avoid medications at all costs, forget about home remedies, and play mind games with myself instead.  I tend to aggravate the area so I either make the pain worse or feel it more consistently.  The idea is that my brain will just "get used to the pain" and then I'll stop feeling it.

You know what?  My mind games work.

They're also one-way ticket to injury.

This was how I developed tendonitis in my arms.  I've pretty lucky that I haven't developed anything else (eating solid food 4 hours after wisdom teeth extraction probably wasn't a great idea) but I don't want to start now.

So I've been icing my sore spots and using compression bandages.  And not running.  Luckily, I got the Sims to keep me busy.

Resting is hard.