4 miles @ Camp Jordan Park

Four miles sounds good, but it was brutally ugly. 1st mile was actually good. The weather was about 70 degrees, low humidity and the sun was shining. Camp Jordan is a large recreation complex with a two mile gravel path. I knew I was going to fast (relatively speaking) for my current conditioning level, but I was not able to slow down. Odd considering I used to preach to new runners doing C25K that when you think you are going slow, slow down even further. But my body/mind wouldn't listen.

Having recently been fighting shin, calf and ankle discomfort, I naturally started to take stock of how I was feeling. Surpisingly I found a new area of discomfort today, my groin. I should have focused on it because it wasn't long before my ankle discomfort (low front) started again. This time it was both ankles instead of just the left, and lower than in the past. I willed myself to run through it, but my mind is not cooperating these days and my body gave in.

I walked some, then started again, then walked again about a half mile later. And my mind is working overtime. Less than a year ago you ran a marathon and now you can barely run a mile. Over and over my mind ran this scenario. I saw may car, the two mile point and stopped to recover and stretch.

I promised myself that I would complete four miles, so back out I went. I felt okay, minor discomfort but once again could not force myself to slow down. The two miles were mostly slow running with some walk breaks mixed in. I completed my two laps, four miles and was happy to have it done. It wasn't pretty, but I finished.

Each run should bring me one step closer. Closer to where I was, closer to finding the joy, magic that running provided not that long ago. I'll get there one day when I'm older. Maybe when I'm 49. Who knows, it might be my magic year!