100%

So fall is right around the corner and I am filled with excitement and somewhat facing some grief. I am very excited about racing in cooler weather and the whole racing enviroment. I love the nike ad that says, running will never take away more than it will give back. That is so true! The way you feel after a hard run is like no other feeling you could ever experience. Knowing you just pushed yourself in a hard training run or race feels so rewarding. It's amazing how all your training, works like an equation to make you faster, stronger, and more effiencient. I am a little worried though, because my leg has been hurting me really bad. Supposedly its just shin splints but it just really isn't getting better. I did some 8x500s yesterday at the track and mentally I felt good. Physically I felt good everywhere except for my leg. It's amazing how much you can accomplish by putting aside just a little bit of pain. My next race is Sep. 12th. I am looking this fall to get a PR in about the late 19's I hope. I just don't want this injury to slow down. Then I have the NAGGING thought following me of whether or not I should take off. Taking off would probably benefit me in the long run. Of course I would have to do some cross training so I dont get lazy or lose too much fitness, then I will have to work my way up to get some more endurance and "be as strong as I have been". See in doing that my leg can heal and I can catch a lot of the races on a healthy leg and work hard to get my speed/endurance back.... or I can keep running on this leg and just hope to God that it gets better. But see, a)no other exercise will get me better at running than running, b) I burn the most calories that way c)It's convienient.... I am supposed to be getting a bike soon and hopefully access to an indoor pool, but I have never cross trained on either.. for a workout. So maybe I can cross train and get some workout techniques on those. These shin splints have got to go away so I can be back 100%, pursuing those PR's... giving everything in a race, leaving NOTHING at all in me, but leaving everything on the road.... so when I have finished know that I dont have an ounce of sprint in me. That's the feeling I cant wait for. I cant wait for the many 5ks and 10ks along with my 1/2 marathons... ahhh.. just talking about it makes me so excited. I'm just waiting it out moment by moment to see how this leg does. I just cant wait to be full force, you have no IDEA. This is a sport that I recently discovered and wish I could have a long time ago. It rewards me in ways that nothing else does. I just know that I have to train smart, run smart, so that I can race hard and fast... plus I have some long term goals that a lot of this season can make happen...

So come on leg, please come on!!!