Calving Calves?

Hey faithful readers. I know it's been almost another three weeks, but I also know that no one reads this, so I don't feel so bad :) Let's see, in the past three weeks...
I finished that awesome week I was having when last I wrote. 62 Miles and an awesome 20 miler. Probably one of my best weeks of training ever. However, it had taken a toll on my body. I caught a cold. I get sick very rarely, so this was indeed a bummer. But the combination of the hard week and staying up late every friggin night to watch Michael Phelps win yet another gold medal just didn't let my body recover like it needed. Luckily, for the most part, I kept up with my key workouts while I was under the weather. The 20 miler the following weekend didn't feel nearly as spectacular though. I got through it and pushed onward. On the following Wednesday, I continued to test myself. I was worn down after a week of being sick and a second 20 miler that took a lot out of me, but decided to go ahead with a very tough Tempo (speedy) session. The session went swimmingly, splits like I rarely see! But after slowing down, my left calf staged a coup. It was done. The union strike continued that night. And when I tried to force the strike to end the next morning, the union rallied back. My first purely injury related down time of the training cycle. 4 days. 4 days off with no running. Not quite as bad as the dreaded Montezuma break, but time off is always hard for me. I ran a great 5 miles this morning. And hope to be up for another Tempo workout on Wednesday morning. (the forecast is for mid-to-low 60s!)

In general, right now, I am tired. Like full-body-and-mind tired. But at least those NBC-ruined Olympics are over and I can get back to full nights of sleep. I think that alone will go a loooooong way to getting me back to normal. Only time will tell.

In other news... I have decided on a path of full teetotaling abstinence until race day. I have already abandoned my friends to an extent that stretches any sort of loyalty to the breaking point. That being the case, I absolutely have to achieve my goal this time around. Consequently, I have to eliminate ALL of the factors that may jeopardize the goal. No booze of any sort. No going out of any sort. No bedtimes after 9-9:30pm each night. No missed workouts of any kind (save for injury). I spoke before of sacrifice, of choices. This is really where/when this gets put to the test. I am making the decision that this is it. I WILL achieve my goal this time around. Now I need to make the choices at every step of the way to get me there. I said before that, even if I don't make it this time, that I now know HOW to make it next time. But those sound like justifications, like reasons and rationalizations for not stepping across the finish line in less than 3:10. No excuses. Like Yoda so famously and eloquently commanded, "Do or do not. There is no try."