Wednesday 031809 10 miles

• I had a bit of stiffness towards the top of the Achilles, the bottom of the calf / soleus.  I think that is good news.  I think when soreness, stiffness is "on the move" things are on the mend.  That said, I decided to "baby" things a bit and run on the mill.  10 miles, 72 minutes, never faster than 6:4x per mile.  The calf was stiff, sore and so it is still an issue but I think it is coming around.  Ran with the home made wedge in the shoe again. 
• A theme-thought that periodically rolls in my head is "are you doing everything you can to prepare?"  Am I running enough miles?  Am I running fast enough?  Am I doing enough hills?  Am I doing enough core work?  Am I drinking enough water?  Am I managing my diet effectively?  Am I taking account of the big picture of where I want to be in 3 months, 6 months, etc?    Yesterday's post by Lucho and subsequent commentary (as well as Magill's post) got me thinking about this "are you doing everything?" thing again. Inevitably, the answer for me is "no."  When I talk to guys like Matt Carpenter, it seems his answer is closer to yes, but that might be my perception, maybe even idol-ization more than anything.  I wonder if the journey in running for me is more about that - exploring the limits of my dedication, self control, discipline - and it just happens to be manifested in this gift of running rather than something else.  This journey reveals to me, more times than I want to admit how weak I am - every time I get out of bed and don't want to run, every time I struggle in a workout, every time I have a seconds at a meal because it is just pleasurable to my mouth (taste), etc.  It is reflected in my performance of course ... I think about how much I hide this lack of discipline in choices in statements like "well, I need to be balanced," and "all work and no play ..."  I have seen those that can become overly disciplined, and it usually comes at a cost that is detrimental to other aspects of their life (but not always).  Anyway ... just a thought.