Reminder to Legs

Yesterday's four-miler was my first run of the week, following a successful first week of my rehashed 10-week Akron Marathon "Just Get There" training plan.

I was supposed to run Monday, but my legs didn't wanna. Sunday's long run reminded my body what it's like to run far in the heat. On top of that, I was trying out my new Invisible Shoes for the first time. (I'll have more on those at a later date.) My quads and calves complained for the next two days, upset with the sudden return to intense training.

My legs were still a bit sore and lethargic last night, but they managed an OK pace while my lungs endured consistent chatting with my coworker.

Tonight needs to be a makeup day to get in those lost miles from Monday, but I'm feeling confident in this second week of the revamped training plan, a slow and steady buildup to the Akron Marathon without any backoff weeks and a short taper. I'm not scared, but my legs kinda are.

Checking Myself 'Fore I Wreck Myself

My right leg is telling me something, but it speaks in garbled language. After both runs yesterday, the leg feels unstable. There is what I like to call "deep butt" pain, which has plagued me before, 13 months ago at the start of my training for the 2009 Akron Marathon.

This pain could be from my iliotibial band, as the twinges of discomfort cause numbness throughout the leg and terminate in a strained sensation in my calf. However, there is no pain in my knee, as is typical to ITBS. The pain and numbness last a half-hour at most.

Last year, I thought the deep butt pain was a result of all my track work and the continuous left turns. The pain quickly went away, and I went on to run my current fastest marathon.

This year, I haven't even driven by a track, let alone stepped on one. My next guess would be to blame my faster running for the pain. (Tempo runs have ranged from 7:59 to 8:23 per mile in the last month.) But that wouldn't explain why I felt the sensation after yesterday's recovery run at a 10:06 mile pace.

If speed isn't the issue here, dude, then what is? I could blame the ramp-up in mileage. I could blame sloppy running form. I could blame my weight. I could blame the roads. I could blame the trails. I could blame the shoes. I could blame the occasional lack of shoes. I could blame society. I could blame the images on TV. I could blame Canada. Or I could just blame you.