So far I have been having an amazing start to the season being able to PR at different workouts running and biking, and I was headed into the last race of a 4 race series in 21^st place overall. I really wanted to crack the top 20 this year and I was poised to do it this past weekend, but I didn’t and there’s a few reasons why.

1. The main reason is that I had a flare up of plantar fasciitis after the 20k that I ran.  Ironically it reared its head as I decreased mileage over the next two weeks after that race.  Admittedly its my own fault, I had been busy and I neglected the stretching that I normally do, that was keeping it at bay since I last had it in 2010.

1. The Course:  The Boston Buildup 25k is probably one of the most brutal races I have ever run, the hills are relentless and it’s certainly painful.  I have run courses that are harder, but make no mistake about it if you were on the verge of an injury, this is the course that will break you.

1. It’s early.  As much as I wanted to be a part of the top 20, I realized that its March, and my season goes deep into September.  I have a goal of qualifying for Team USA again this year and I knew I won’t be able to do that if I’m sidelined for most of the summer.  Id rather skip a rather trivial personal quest today, than be forced out of my entire season by injury.

1. Setting an example for clients:  I had a client of mine that was running the series with me, and the day before and they weren’t feeling too hot.  I reiterated that it was ok to skip out on a race, especially when it wasn’t their main goal and the best way to do that was to keep myself out as well.

Am I upset that I missed out on putting myself in the top 20 for the series?  Of course, but I would have been much more upset if I decided to run the race and then wasn’t able to run for the next month.  I only dropped 11 places to 32^nd place for the series, and I determined that if I kept running with the guys I was around the first 3 races I would have placed maybe 18^th. Is it worth it to me? Absolutely not, I’m a triathlete first, runner second, and these races are more of an early season fitness test than anything else. Recently I’ve been on a consistent regimen of icing, rolling, and wearing the Strasburg sock to bring my pain to a minimum and send the PF back to where it came from. I am hoping to be able to manage a new PR at the half marathon distance at the end of the month and I will focus on that for now. Don’t what let you do today, take you out of your training tomorrow!   Final Series Standings: http://www.clubct.org/Buildup/12bball4.htm