Short but Severe Mileage Cutback This Week

It's not what my heart wants to do, but my head is telling me it's the prudent thing to do.

I won't have this opportunity later.  If I'm dealing with injury or muscle/tendon stress later, I won't have time to adjust and it could jeopardize my efforts to successfully finish the marathon. I've got to nip this in the bud now.

Everything I'm reading is saying that the way to deal with a potential injury like the one I'm starting to recognize with my ankles is not to run through it but to treat it with rest, good nutrition and stretching/massage.  I worry about chasing the remedy down by switching shoes since I've never felt I needed anything but a neutral shoe, and I'm reading horror stories about how trying to control motion through orthopedics or stability shoes can be a gamble.  I've half a notion to go minimal if not completely barefoot.


I'm going to give rest a try: not a total break from running.  Just a 50% or so reduction in my weekly mileage, and nothing over 10 miles in a single day.  I'm also going to experiment with a different lacing pattern to try to lessen the possibility that the shoe collar is what is digging in under my ankle.

Yesterday, I ran just a tiny bit to take a series of video clips of my stride and foot strike.  But I got the bulk of my workout done on the elliptical and rower.  Today, I plan to swim for 30 minutes and then join the noon spin class for its final 30 minutes.  Depending on what I have going on at work, if I'm not pressed to get back to the office, I'll add in about 15-20 minutes on the treadmill, including some acceleration gliders.