If it's September, then I'm in PT

It's true.

The past two years in a row, I've had to visit my Physical Therapist, and for some reason, it's always in September.

I was really feeling my training this week, I'm smack dab in the middle of my schedule, with less than 8 weeks to go until the marathon.  I've been dragging, the miles are starting to weigh on me, and my motivation is just not there.  I only made it three miles on Wednesday, the inside of my left leg near my knee was really bugging me, so I decided to stop, and made an appointment with my PT.

I had juggled my schedule to clear up a few hours this afternoon to do my 17 miler, and when I went in to PT this morning, I was hopeful that I would still be able to bang it out.

My issues usually lie with my hamstring, but this time it's not the case.  It turns out I strained the muscle that runs from the bottom of my hamstring, along the inside of my leg, past my knee, and into my calf.  It's called a pez-something, I tried to google it but couldn't find anything about it.  Luckily it's not a bad strain, there is no tear, but I need to rest it a few days.  My IT band is pretty tight, so I have to do some stretching of that area, which is one spot I have a hard time getting a good stretch.  Instead of running today, I need to walk for a few miles, then bike.  I can run again on Monday, then I'll have PT a few times next week, and hopefully it will calm down.

I'm a little annoyed about the strain, I have been so good about cross training because of the triathlon I did in August, and I stretch twice a day.  But it could be much worse, so I'm thankful for that.

Oddly, this is the boost I needed.  A couple days of rest, then I have a fresh start.  I'm allowing myself to get excited for the marathon, I got my bib number and wave start this week from NYRR, my wave is at 10:40, with the slower kids.  My friend Jennifer is in the same wave, as are several of my NF Endurance teammates.  I let myself look at the course, and elevation chart, now that I know what my start time is, I can figure out when I'll hit spots in Brooklyn and Queens, for my family to spectate.

It's getting real, and I can't wait.

Happy Weekend, and Happy Training!!!