FML.

AM: 3 miles
PM: 16 min. w/u + strides (2 miles)
Target: 12x800 @2:45 w/2 min. rest
Actual: 2:49, 2:49, 2:45, 2:44, 2:45, 2:45, 2:45, 2:45, 82
10 min. c/d (1-1.5 miles)
Total: 7.5 miles

Well. I don't really know where to begin on how crappy this workout was. Admittedly I went into it with a less than optimistic attitude, given that I am still as sore (if not more so) than I was yesterday, and I wasn't really sure if I would be capable of turning the legs over at all. Alas, I wish that had been my only problem...

So, things started out fairly decently. Jeff wanted me to run the first two in the 2:48-2:50 range before easing down to the target pace, and I was more than happy to oblige. The first few felt pretty awful, a complete contrast from the last time I did this workout, but I kept telling myself to focus on the intervals one at a time and not let myself get overwhelmed by the sheer volume ahead. Mother Nature wasn't doing me any favors either with the muggy, windy conditions, which made things particularly challenging on the homestretch, but I tried to push the negative thoughts aside and stay focused.

By the third and fourth intervals I was still struggling to stay relaxed despite finding the right pace, and I knew at that point that the sole goal of this effort would be survival. By #5 I began to feel a slight discomfort in my right foot, which grew stronger as the workout progressed. At #7 the discomfort morphed into a full-on pain, and by the end of #8 it was fairly sharp. I told Jeff I needed to take off my flats and put on my trainers for the next one, but even that last-ditch effort to salvage things wasn't enough. I limped through half of the ninth go before calling it quits.

At this point, I'm trying not to panic. I'm basically willing myself to not have a stress fracture. Jeff doesn't seem to think that I do, and I'm inclined to cautiously agree, given that this situation is very similar to a quasi-injury I had last fall that ended up being more benign than I'd feared. I'll definitely have to play the next few days by ear and start RICE-ing like it's my job. If you're reading this, please start sending some positive thoughts in the general direction of my right foot.