Week Total: 4 miles running, 25mi on bike.

All days off except meet at Bartlett on Wednesday; 3200 in 11:51, 1600 in 6:18. (race details at website).

I don't know when exactly I did it but at some point last week I injured my ankle. It wasn't a sprain or anything clear, it doesn't even hurt but it's very weak and I can't really put weight on it because I know if I do it'll get worse and then probably start to hurt.

I first felt it before the first race on Wednesday 4/16. The two races made it clearly worse. I ran on it the next day in the woods and probably made it worse. The next day I took it real easy, ankle still not good. I took the weekend off trying to heal the sore legs and ankle for the meet Monday. It wasn't healed but I ran the races anyway. I thought I should've taped it for the racing but didn't (stupid decision), and the races left me limping pretty bad. So the next day I wasn't running but I was working the next three so was still on my feet all day, plus I have to ride my bike to and from work, 7 total miles plus about 3 miles walking just due to work, so not really rest. So after work (3mi walk, 7mi bike) T/W/T, on Friday between riding buses and walking for transportation to and from Worcester, I walked about 4 miles. Saturday (today) and Sunday (tommorow) I'm working again, so another 3mi walking each day, 7mi bike today, 3.5mi bike tommorow.

I've been icing the ankle 10mins on/off between 1-3 hours each night when I have the time to. The first couple days I didn't wrap it, but I've been wrapping the ankle with plenty of bandages, really limiting the weight put on it.

I feel it could've been healed by now if I wasn't forced to be on my feet all day but there's nothing I can do to change that; I need to work, and at least the bike riding is a bit of cross training.

I have a meet on Monday, another on Wednesday, then another on Saturday next week. Tough break with the ankle; this was going to be a fun week for racing. Anyway, I'm probably going to end up racing the mile in the meet Monday (no way am I going to test it over the distance of the 2 mile or the speed of the 800). If it feels good then I'll keep training and racing but all the training I've done the last 2 months, the base I've built, it's gone. It can't all evaporate that quickly but to say that just about a week off isn't going to severely deter the training plan, would be a lie.

Hopefully I still have enough left to keep my times going down for the rest of the season, but I don't think they will. This week off has eliminated my peak and now it's a rather elementry approach of getting better a few seconds at a time as the season goes on.

The bittersweet good news is that I probably won't get close to making the mark for the state qualifying meet, meaning the SWCL meet would be my last on W 5/21. I would take off the next 7 days, bringing me to Th 5/29. I'd probably do something easy on the Thursday and Friday, take Saturday off, and then I'm back to training seriously Sunday June 1st. Also, for now I've cancelled my plans to seriously race the 6/8 Worc. Firefighters Mem. 6K, as that gets in the way of my summer mileage building for college.

I'll stop the plans there because things can change so easily and theres no point in planning something I'm unsure of. (It's like the little boy planning on what he'll do at Disneyland only to find out the family is going on a cruise instead.)

I'm going to add two quotes in for this blog. This comes from the Apocrypha section of the Bible (neither Old Testament or New Testament), and can really pick you out of the dumpster. This really would've helped me a few years back when I temporarily lost faith in my religion, and it's helping me now.

My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation. Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble. Cleave unto him, and depart not away, that thou mayest be increased at thy last end. Whatsoever is brought upon thee take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art changed to a low estate. For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity. Believe in him, and he will help thee; order thy way aright, and trust in him. -Sirach 2, 1-6.

In addition, the following is Proverb 16:9 and is a big part of why I'm not freaking out about the injury. I just have to do my best and keep going at it, but no matter what I'm taking the LORD's path. Whether I like it or not, this injury is in God's plan and I must deal with it.

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.