Can't catch a break

Actually, I caught one for the second time in as many years, as the results of the MRI revealed to me today. As suspected, there's a stress fracture in my sacrum -- only one of them, not two as I was lead to believe at the beginning of the weekend. A silver lining, not so much, but one crack is better than two as one Katie Gwyther so eloquently put it to me earlier this evening.

The prognosis? 8-10 weeks no running, maybe more, depending on how quickly the damn thing heals. Obviously, the quicker, the better, but at this point there's no reason to rush. Time -- along with rest, PT, cross training, a few new supplements and the right attitude -- heals all wounds. That's my belief, anyway, and I'm sticking to it.

Look, I don't want one more person to tell me they're sorry or feel bad that I can't run for 8 weeks, 10 weeks, or however long it's gonna be. Yeah, it sucks -- no doubt about it -- but in the end it's only running. Yes, it's a huge part of who I am and what I do but it's not all that I am and all that I do, although it may seem like it sometimes. Trust me, I'll be just fine. I've dealt with a lot worse this year. This is nothing.

The gal pictured below and to the left, however, now she is something, that something being the champion of yesterday's Bay State Marathon. Christy Mae blazed the blacktop with a 2:51:38 clocking, some six minutes -- yes, 6 minutes! -- ahead of the second-place woman. And an almost 7-minute PR to boot!

On the whole, it was a solid day for the boys and gal of NB Boston. Ryan, my trusty training partner, took second overall behind the always tough Matty Pelletier, who still had 16 miles of shit in his legs from Chicago the week before. Not to take away from Matty P's near-record and incredibly impressive performance, but my boy in blue put forth one hell of a solo effort himself into the wind, finishing up in 2:27:13. It was killing me not to be out there with him.

On the undercard, Mike Maceiko - or MacEiko, according to the finest newspaper in the Merrimack Valley, the Lowell Sun - won the half marathon by a convincing 5-minute margain in 1:09:24. Must've been all those Wednesday night hill repeats on Eli Whitney Street in Westboro with myself and the Movie Star.

OK, maybe not but let's just go with that theory. There's no way to disprove it, so we might as well just give ourselves all the credit.

Kidding aside, I was proud of my 'mates and and happy to support them, as well as all my other friends, out along various points of the course yesterday. Each and every one of you provided the injection of inspiration me and my injured ass so desperately need right now. Thank you.