After titling this post, I realize that in the past, I have referred to "toes up" as meaning in the ground, having left this world. Not the case this time though.

    Since my last post, I was just getting my run back into a routine, when my calf muscle injury from last fall resurfaced. I took 11 days off from running, and had the guys at Rehab Plus work on it and give me some exercises. I was able to still ride and swim. Well mostly swim, after getting cortisone injections for my shoulder, it went from painful to push or lift with it, to now being painful to swim....the complete wrong direction. So anyway, I was signed up for the second annual GORD off road duathlon in Prescott this last Saturday, so I tried to find a runner to make a relay team with me on the bike. I didn't try real hard, as I really wanted to do the entire race. My calf felt good, so my plan was to run easy, if it got tight, I would walk. I wanted to do the mountain bike though. I rode to Prescott with Rick and Karen, and when we got there, it was cold and windy. Good muscle pulling weather. I jogged a couple hundred yards before the race, and it all felt good. I'm just not in run condition, and throw a little altitude on top of it.....but, don't re injure it, that was my goal. The race took off and so did I. Not tearing it up, but trying to keep contact with somewhat the front of the pack. I did the first 1.5 mile run in 12:18. Not too bad.

   I changed my shoes, put my helmet on and hit the trail on the mountain bike. An 8.2 mile combination of single track trails and double track road. There were a couple granny gear, leg burning, chest pounding climbs, and some sharp switchback turns. About halfway in, my calves started to cramp. Not the injury, but definitely cramps, so I just pointed my toes up (see title) and kept churning. I had a bike split of 40:33, which I think included my run to bike TA time.

  Jumping off the bike, I changed my shoes again, not as fast this time and headed out for the final 2.1 mile run. Not only were my calves trying to cramp, the toes on my left foot were too. As runners came up behind me, I tried to up the pace, but I knew if I cramped on the run, I would be walking, so I went as fast as I could staying just under the cramp threshold. I lost 5 or 6 places on the final run, but was happy to finish about 15th out of 124 with an overall time of 1:11:14. Not bad for not being in run shape. It was great to see so many friends out there too, I had a great time. Thanks to Dave and Tracy for putting on this race, and also to Karen for the muscle gel and pictures, and Rick for the transportation and laughs.