Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

I had another rough time trying to sleep last night. If I'm flat on my back, my lower back tightens up and starts to hurt right at my pelvis. During the day, it's only bothering me every now and then, but at night, it's waking me up a lot. So, I'm continuing with my plan to avoid running for the next couple of days.

I was so proud of my consistency up to this point, it's been hard to skip the past few workouts. I know it's the right thing to do, but it's still frustrating and I'm getting a little jumpy. It reminds me of the introduction to the 'Marathon' section of the book, The Quotable Runner. At one point, the author is discussing the pain a marathon can cause and the option of dropping out of a race. He said:

"Of course, you can step off the course, but there's a lot of mental anguish involved in such a step--enough that I am not sure whether it is an act of cowardice or courage to drop out of a marathon."

I've never started a marathon that I didn't finish but it isn't hard to imagine how much it would 'hurt' to have to drop out before reaching the finish line. I'm trying to remind myself that sitting out this week is similar. I'm not slacking off, I'm staying the course by resting an injury.

I couldn't find the exact quote, but there is a time in one of John L. Parker, Jr.'s books (I think it was Once A Runner) when Quenton Cassidy is in the middle of a race and reminding himself, "Stay calm in the pack." For some reason, anytime I get worked up or nervous about anything related to my running, I find myself thinking, "Stay calm in the pack." It doesn't really apply to most of the situations I use it for, but for some reason, it makes sense in my mind.

Today, I decided not to just rest idly. I went to the gym after work to do a little lifting and get in a swim. I got to burn some energy and feel like I'm still training without putting any impact on my back. It was a nice compromise. Tomorrow, I'm planning a bike ride with Liz. I might not be able to run right now, but I can adapt my training to keep fit.

Friday
Goal For The Day: Swim
Distance: 800 meters. (4 x 200m).
Location: Fenton Rec Center Indoor Pool.

Notes: It turns out I swim a little better when I don't go for a run on the treadmill first. It was frustrating not running today because it's cooler and cloudy. We even had our first thunderstorm in weeks!

Daily Miles: 900 meter swim.
Blog Totals:
  Run - 160.84 Miles.
  Bike - 67.68 Miles.
  Swim - 6,200+ meters.