Day 70: Beautiful Day.

If I could have any type of weather to run in, today's would be it. Absolutely beautiful outside. It was a far cry from the 102 degree temperatures of the previous 4 day set. I never even checked the temperature gauge, but I am guessing it was only about 80 degrees with a nice breeze. Despite having very little sleep in the past 5 nights, I felt  really good starting the day. I think it was the weather that had me in a good mood. The first 4 miles flew by. And then, it happened. A dull ache in my right hip began about mile 5, and by mile 8, I was limping noticably with each step, and the dull ache was a sharp pain. I had almost forgotten what this pain felt like, since I hadn't had any hip problems for about a month. Well, I got a healthy dose of the pain today to remind me. Nevertheless, I did not complain about it once during the run, although Mom could see just how bad I was hurting. She convinced me to take an Ibuprofin before the afternoon run, which I hoped would alleviate some of the discomfort. It helped a little bit, but I was still in tremendous pain throughout the afternoon. However, I did finish, and I will run tomorrow. And I will finish tomorrow. I know that the muscles around my hip are inflamed, as they were early in this trip. I know I am going to struggle through the next few days, hopefully not more. I know there will be a level of pain and discomfort that could be alleviated if I were just not to run, but that is not where my mind is right now. I feel so strong mentally right now in this journey, that I will not allow a little pain to deter me. I'll stretch well, pop an Ibuprofin or two, and hit the road tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that. You all must think I have some sick obsession with pain, but I certainly don't. Trust me, I would much prefer a pain free day of running. What I mean by this is, I know my body well, and I know the difference between a genuine injury, and regular aches and pains. If I have a genuine injury, then I certainly won't risk my health, I'll take a little extra time off. However, if I have some muscle inflammation, ehh, no biggie, haha. Here's hoping the pain is small and the heart continues to be big tomorrow.