EIGHTEEN MILER & TIGHT CALVES

July Fourth Group Torture Run. Look at us all festive. I decided not to look at the camera because I am a rebel.

Saturday morning I woke up at did eighteen miles with the Portland Marathon Clinic. I'm glad I went with them, because there was no way I was doing eighteen miles on my own that Saturday. I believe it got up to 98 or 99 on the day. When we started at 8am it was already in the 70s and was in the mid 80s when we finished around 11am. It was a hot run that seemingly lasted forever, but I got it done.

To be honest, the run wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Other than two sixteen milers, my longest runs of the last six months have been half marathons. However, these eighteen weren't so bad. My legs hurt a bit toward the end, but it was never excruciating. I remember my first 18 and 20 milers almost being in tears towards the end. Guess my leg cherry has been popped. Now, my muscles were certainly complaining and weren't happy, but it was all pretty manageable.

After the run my legs felt pretty good. I was honestly feeling pretty dang good about my fitness. I was thinking just maybe I can go somewhere in the 3:30s again for a marathon. Went to some Fourth of July celebrations that evening and my legs didn't even cross my mind. However, when I woke up on Sunday, my calves were super tight... AGAIN. Same thing happened after my run with Alejandro on the Banks Vernonia Trail.

This all seems to stem from the Bald Peak Half Marathon. I had what I diagnosed as super tight Achilles tendons after that one. I still think that was the correct diagnosis.  Maybe my calves also were affected or bore the brunt for my Achilles afterward when I ran. Needless, it's really annoying. After my long runs I have tight calves, play it easy during the week, do my long run, then have tight calves again. It's been a vicious cycle.

No better way to see the beautiful city of Tualatin!

I tried to remedy it this week by taking it super easy on Monday. Three miles at 10:45/mile easy. Maybe I should have just taken the day off, I don't know. Here it is Wednesday and my calves are still a little sore. I'll probably run six or seven miles tonight with my run group. I'm hoping if I stretch before and after it won't make things worse. The midweek runs don't seem to make the calf thing any worse but they probably don't help.

Anyways, we'll see how things turn out. I might try taking an entire weekend off from long running if they don't get better. I'm very casual this training cycle, I've totally lost my edge, so the thought of that doesn't send me into a panic attack like it would before. In fact, it sounds kind of nice. If I do end up doing that, it would probably be the weekend of July 25th when I'm camping in Roseburg. That was always a pain in the ass anyways.

Oh oh! Beer mile THIS Friday! More to come!