On the shelf

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2006

I came up with a sore right achilles and left hip a week ago and pulled off the track in the middle of our Jim Spivey Running Club workout. Later I figured out that a surfeit of yard work the weekend before had thrown me out of whack and then running a long, hard 13 miler had really screwed me up.

Tonight I was a spectator at track. A week of swimming and spinning and riding on my bike trainer had kept me in shape but my achilles was still a little bit sore. I could have run, but in a rare display of prudence I decided to back off longer so it could heal more! Coach Spivey agreed with my restraint and said my running now would add little to my performance even if I were healthy.

I am planning on running easy Saturday morning with buddy Rich and friend Lynn.

I really need to heal to run at my best on the 25th in the Florence (Italy) Marathon. I want a Boston qualifying time and anything under 3:46 does it. I ran 3:42 (I think..) two years ago there in a marathon that counted for nothing. I did not push at all. Even though I may not be quite as fast now, this one counts...and I think I can get my time, no sweat.