Heat and Stretch

"Heat and stretch" he said.  "Heat and stretch."  

Yessir.  Whatever you say sir.  Just make it go away sir.  

I'm nothing if not obedient.  

Well, to be perfectly honest I'm not really that obedient but I do try to do what I'm told when it comes to keeping my body in running condition.

I have booked two dates with my chiropractor this week and he's been great at responding to my 'help me' texts.  

Something went wrong during Saturday's run and it hasn't righted itself despite naps, stretching, ibuprofen and down time.  I'm not scared yet but I admit that I am a bit worried.  Funny thing is that I'm not even sure what I did.  I purposely avoided Saturday's hilly route and went to the parkway where it's flat. Everything felt fine before and during the run.  Even after was ok.  

I never bounce around after long runs and I am normally stiff and sore for a day or two but I have enough experience with the post run feeling and I know what's normal...

...and what's not.  

This is not normal. 

One calf is so tight that I can hardly walk down stairs.  I heat it and stretch it (as per Geoff's orders).  It loosens up for ten minutes and then contracts again.  My calf and I have been playing this game for 24 hours now and I'm not sure who's winning.  

Best case scenario is that it's an extra tight calf muscle.  Geoff works his magic and fixes things and I take a day or two off running to heal.  I still get my runs in and I look back on these past few days as a bump in the marathon road. 

Worse case - well I'm trying not to think about it but I do have an active imagination which is not easily controlled.  Despite my most positive thinking techniques, the image of me cheering my friends on at Niagara Falls as I stand at the finish line keeps flashing in my head.  I want to run the race dammit - I have worked too hard to be a spectator! 

I'm pretty sure this is going to fall closer to my best case scenario but I am bracing for the worst. Be prepared right? 

It must be hard to be in Geoff's position.  Having to look someone in the eye and say the words - you need to stop running.  You need two weeks off.  You have a stress fracture.  Shin splints.  A broken leg. 

Who the hell runs with a broken leg I don't know but I'm sure people have tried.  

Whatever the message is, telling a runner that they should not (or cannot) run must be hard.  I do not envy him that part of the job. 

I don't think I am going to hear that message at 3:50pm today.  But, just in case, I'm bracing myself.  

In the meantime, I have some heating and stretching to do.