The Grinders and the Grind

My right calf feels like it might have a minor strain, it's a little painful and feels very tight. Oddly, this is not the same leg that felt tight during yesterday's run. I don't think it's anything serious. I'm not running today, and am planning just a slow 4 miler tomorrow, so hopefully it won't be anything that slows me down. Nothing else is sore today, which is encouraging. My shins don't hurt at all, and the plantar fascitis in my left foot feels pretty good. The new shoes may be just what I needed, or perhaps I'm just learning to manage my injuries better.

Regardless, I continue to marvel at the people who can seemingly run forever without having to take a break. How do they do that? Check out this guy, who ran every day for twenty years, or 7,768 straight days. Or how about this guy, who does all his runs barefoot, regardless of the weather or surface. The latter I actually saw run by a relay point during the KC Marathon earlier this month.

Most remarkable of all is the famed ultramarathoner, Dean Karnazes, whose achievements include a 350 mile non-stop run, and a 135 mile run in 130 degree temperatures. A marathon for him must feel like a sprint.

I wouldn't exactly say that I'm inspired by these people. I can pretty much guarantee I will not run for 7,768 straight days, run a marathon in barefoot, or run 350 miles anywhere at all, so it's not like these people give me something tangible to aspire to. That's not to say these achievements aren't amazing, just so far beyond what most people are capable of, or driven towards, that they are more like spectacles to be admired, than reasons to compete oneself. I think that's why I'm more drawn to first marathon stories such as the ones here. This is a forum to which I feel I can contribute.

One piece of news I found out this weekend is that I will now be free the weekend of November 23rd, which means competing in the Gobbler Grind Half-Marathon is now feasible. The distance fits in very well with my training schedule. The only thing I need to be wary of is not overextending myself by treating it like a big race instead of a tuneup. To an extent I think I did that with the relay, and that led to this past week where I had to back off a little. So we'll see.