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This week I ran my 3 miles Monday on the treadmill...yuck...I dread the treadmill.  With winter coming I guess I should develop a more positive attitude towards the machine, but for now...I wanna run outside!  So, Tuesday I ran my 3 miles at Vorhees in the chilly rain.  I felt great until my final 1/2 mile.  I was on the part of the trail that is so dense that even on a humid, hot, super bright summer day it is dark and cool. So when I got to this part of the trail I turned on my trusty little flashlight.  Immediately I heard the playful growls of one or more black bears.  Now, I am not afraid of these  gentle animals (go to bear.org and check out Dr. Lynn's research), but on a dark, rainy night when I cannot see beyond my little flashlight's glare, I was spooked!  So I ran that last 1/2 mile in less than 4 minutes!  As scared as I was, the run was exhilarating!

The next morning I woke up and felt crampy; I had a difficult time just getting out of bed.  My lower back ached, but I also felt a lot of pain in my abdomen.  I made it somewhat through the day, going home from work early to rest. 

Thursday again I had a lot of abdominal cramping and lower back pain. Needles to say I didn't get my 4 mile run in on Thursday.  I was so cranky; I just wanted to run, but could not.  I did take a slow 1 mile walk and it felt okay. 

Today I woke up and felt pretty good until I drove to work.  The ride in the car made me feel crampy and again I had lower back pain.  Geeeeze!  I just wanted it to stop!  I can't take being side-lined like this!

Tonight I feel better and I hope will be able to do at least a 4 mile run this weekend.  I felt sacred about my marathon goal because I am afraid I am aiming too high.  I do not want to push myself to hard too fast and get injured.  I now have a taste of  having to take time off because of an injury and I don't like it! 

I know that my coach Jill says she often has to deal with concerns like mine.  It is so common that runners who experience an injury or illness have a difficult time taking "time off", but the down time is necessary in order to recover.  In any sport there is the potential for injury; it happens.  So I understand that my fears are shared by many runners and I am not alone; this understanding reinforces my commitment towards my goal to run a marathon.