Pulling oars and muscles.

So, remember when I said I started having pain in my lower abs after last week's boot camp? Well, apparently the way to make that better was not to ignore it and hope it would go away. Seven days and numerous workouts later (two runs, three Group Power classes, two spin classes, and another session of bootcamp) the pain has gotten much worse. By this morning's bootcamp, I had to scale it back because I had no choice- the muscle simply won't let me push it any further. Fortunately, I did some reading on abdominal strains, and it looks like I just need to ice, take ibuprofren, and avoid ab exercise for awhile. I should (knock on wood) be okay to run. I'm supposed to do a half-marathon on Sunday, but I'm going to let tomorrow's shorter run tell me whether or not that's a good idea.

Between the heat and the injuries, I've been really struggling the past few weeks. I think its hard for anyone to psych themselves up for a first marathon, especially someone like me who consistently missed straight A's in school by getting B's in gym. It doesn't help when your mind, body and environment all seem to be saying "You can't do this!" Right now, what's keeping me going is the thought of honoring Dr. Murray and the people who are supporting me. If you are reading this, you are one of those people, so thank you!

On a happier note, I started training this week for an event that will happen in April 2011. My friends Krista and Ray, both ultra-marathoners (ie: people who run races longer than 26.2 miles), are having their wedding on the same day as a run-bike-canoe triathlon. Super athletes that they are, they decided to do the race the morning of their wedding and invite their guests to do it to. Apparently, they know a lot of crazy people, because many of us have agreed to go for it. I wasn't sure how my race partner and I would practice for the canoe portion of the event, but it turns out that my brother owns a canoe which was gathering dust in his yard. So, he and I cleaned it up and put it in the water, and Katie and I went for a lovely 45-minute canoe ride on Tuesday night. We're planning another for tomorrow. Way more fun than a pulled muscle!