Knots

Dry needling toteboard: 5.

The last few weeks of running had been solid, by recent standards. 12 miles last week (3-3-3-3) and 13 last week (3-3-3-4). Since these were good weeks of running and my calves had been behaving, I ran 4.25 on Monday after work but my right leg was tugging at me a little. Not enough to stop, just enough to let me know it was there. I was going to rest Tuesday, anyway.

Wednesday I wanted to see what I could do, speedwise, on my 5K route. My half-mile splits were just under 4:00, which is booking for me. With a half mile to go, my right calf knotted up on me. The right one. Not the left one, the problem child. So I was pissed, even though I was able to run-walk the rest of the way home.

So I explained it to my physical therapist, who found knots in both calves. It was worse in the right than in the left. He decided to dry needle me after finding knots in both legs, even though my left calf has been OK lately.

That was Thursday morning. It's worth noting that I'm able to walk around better now after these dry needle sessions than I could before. This was helpful, since Thursday was a day full of meetings and walking.

I'm just back in on a Saturday morning from trying to run to the local YWCO but my right calf barely got me a quarter mile out and quarter mile back. So it's another setback. I feel I've been concentrating on form and hitting various checkpoints along the way, such as trying to run tall, 'pop' my knees out as I run, and focusing on landing just behind the ball of my foot. Midfoot striking is the key.

I thought I'd been doing OK, but now it seems as though more patience is called for. I'd wanted to run a fast 5K in January, then I settled for running well at Thanksgiving and Holiday races, now I'll just settle for running at all.

So it's a bummer.