Always Bound to be a Struggle

Well, I suppose training for a marathon SHOULD be a struggle and that's exactly what this is becoming as I navigate the third week of the 18-week plan with what looks very much like a groin and abdominal strain.

I finished off June with a whimper and managed 226.2km when the goal was 261km, but that's the least of my worries.

July is off to a roaring start. We're up in Ottawa for the Canada Day weekend and I went out yesterday morning and jogged with Monica for 4km before finishing off another 5km by myself for a total of 9km. My groin and stomach definitely felt tight, but it was better than I anticipated it would be.

Today I set off alone for what ended up being a rather horrible 12km. I maintained pretty even pace throughout, right in the 'recovery' zone at 5:36/km, but everything just didn't feel right. Now, hours after my run, I am a bit depressed given that things feel like they did when I first started running and my legs, tendons, and ligaments were this sore after any run of 10km or more. In short, this is crappy.

It sure looks like July will be a month of struggle as I try and work through my aches and pains.

Not. Fun.