Inner grown-up: Avoid mayhem by listening to it

















My inner grownup was whispering: Don’t do it.

But what about the training program? It says 8.5 miles. All the other Ten-Miler trainees would be doing their long run that weekend. I wanted to keep up. Wanted to stay on the path to becoming one of the whippets: running like crazy, gobbling Italian food, looking fabulous.

I completely ignored my external grownup, Coach Lorenzoni, whose advice to everyone is: Don’t run injured.

The day arrived. I suited up and Harry and I met up with his marathoner pals at Greenberry’s, the malt shop for all the cool runners in Charlottesville. Their encouragement was countered by the voice of my inner grownup, who was now shouting: Don’t do this. For the love of God, don’t do this.




Sports doctor’s diagnosis: torn calf muscle. Doc thinks I should be sufficiently healed to run the 10-miler at the end of March, but my inner grownup says: Don’t even think about it.
Two years ago, the Free Union-based Jaquith penned a piece about the zombies she accompanied to the Boston Marathon.






Running's dirty secret is the huge number of injuries it causes.

Great story. As I age I now hear that voice on a regular basis... and when I ignore it I have gotten the same experience.

Listen to your Inner Chimp. It will tell you when a Lance Link twirlabout and wrist flap is the only appropriate response to a situation.

Wonder what the doctor's advice would be if he earned more money keeping you whole and less fixing what breaks. Even so-called "wellness" doctors won't base their earnings on their advice.

I'm really digging this article because it is really timely. I, too, am currently suffering from a torn calf muscle. No running, no matter how much I want to do it. Such frustration. Such agony. There's no telling when I can start again. One day at a time.

From one of Harry's whippett-thin runners, I say, "Die you bastard, die." You keep thinking an injury will loosen-up and vanish. It persist for weeks. Evil bastards continue to persist for months with physical therapy. Given time, the team of coach, doctor, physical therapist will perform an absolution and you're back on the road. It's the time off the road that kills a runner. Janis, I loved the way you expressed this issue. Most runners go through a right-of-passage and require a black toe nail to feel like a "real runner." Janis, this article puts you in the league of "real runners." Hope you have a speedy recovery.