I haven't written about my training in a while for a number of reasons: 1) I moved, 2) I started a new job, 3) my training has sucked. Yup, sucked. I haven't been hitting my mileage or my times. My legs feel like they are full of lead. There's no acute trauma or reason for this pain, instead, it's built up over a few years of not treating my legs to the time off or rest that they probably needed. I had a really bad skiing accident in Dec 2012 which lead to a lot of trauma on my left hamstring. I let it rest but proably not enough and I think I've been compensating since. My hips are not aligned and because of that, I have started to compensate in my stride.
This realization (coming after talking to PTs and massage therapists) is making me look at my marathon on Oct 5th very differently. I am going to start the race but I am going to listen VERY closely to my body and heed its warnings. If I have to slow down or stop, I'm going to do just that. It's tough having to adjust your goals, especially after working really hard to meet them, but I believe it's the best course of action for me - physically and mentally.
I will be racing on Oct 5th but it might not be for my 3:20 PR; it might be for a finish. I have 3 sets of goals and I will be happy to meet any of them. What I'm learning throughout this process is the importance of setting goals and being able to adjust them; life is in constant flux, thus your goals should reflect that.