26 Reasons to Run 26 Miles

Love it!

Running Injury-Free

I have added a new goal to my ultramarathon quest--to learn how to run injury-free!

I have been taking a break from running to heal from my most recent calf muscle injury (specifically, the top of my Achilles tendon). I don't particularly like sitting on the sidelines waiting for my body to heal. But I have used the time to research injury recovery and prevention.

Through my research I've identified a few areas that might be root causes of my calf muscle injuries.

Week 20: Weight Loss Celebration!

Every ten pounds I reward myself with a celebration day. During my celebration day all bets are off--I get to eat whatever I want. I usually reserve this day for eating the JUNK that I've refrained from in the previous weeks. Yesterday was my celebration day. I hit 30 pounds!

For my celebration day I indulged in chocolate chip cookie dough, sour cream and onion chips, and McDonald's french fries. And I loved every bit of it! I will say all three left a rather nasty aftertaste, but I enjoyed them as they went down.

Now, as of this morning, I am back to focusing on my weight loss goal.

Some Time Off

My calf muscle continues to bother me. Yesterday I decided to go for a small test run on the trail. About a mile into the run my calf muscle started to hurt. So I abandoned the trail and walked back to the Jeep on a flat paved path. I was also really tired during the run, a symptom of overtraining.

Rest and Recovery

I think my weekend 20-miler took more out of me than I originally though. I felt pretty good until my run on Tuesday. Then, my calf muscle started bothering me again. So I decided to back off the running until I recover.

Yesterday I went for a mountain bike ride. I know from past experience that mountain biking doesn't bother my calf muscles. I planned to ride again today, but I am tired. I've been working some strange hours on a project overseas, so that might be a factor. But more likely I am still recovering from my run and need more rest.