Black and Purple

Not good

Just great - I had two races lined up for this coming weekend and I have to forfeit both of them plus the last 5k in Prospect Park for this season. Why? Because I am unable to walk through my apartment without breaking a toe. Yup. I just walked from the living room to the kids' room to fetch something and hit my pinky toe on the workout machine we store in the hallway. I was hoping that I just sprained it but the cracking sound/sensation that came with stubbing the toe made be suspect something more that just fleeting pain. I did hope for the entire night, though, that ice and pain killers would make it go away but the urgent care visit the next morning and a few x-rays made it clear that I better take it easy for a couple weeks. The good thing: it is just a fraction, it is just the pinky toe, and it is not displaced. According to the doctor it should be as good as new within two weeks but, me being me, I will test it as soon as the bruising, i.e. the pain, subsides. Maybe a week? I really do not want to miss the Labor Day 10k and the Autism Speaks 4M. I am afraid I would lose my fitness and have to start from "semi-scratch" again... I've got points to collect in order to get guaranteed entry into next year's NYC Marathon! Since I will be missing the Percy Sutton Harlem 5k Run I have to make up for it and, fortunately, I will have the Dash to the Finish Line to do so. If I miss the Autism run, I have to find another NYRR race, that I haven't planned on running. Maybe the Poland Sprint 5M or the Ted Corbitt 15k. Or I will run those anyway...

On the volunteering side of things I have done a Long Training Run pace leader job for the 8 minutes per mile group with the NY Flyers and I volunteered as course marshall on for the MS Run the US New York Finish 5k, an NYCRUNs event. I am debating if I should volunteer at the race I registered for on Sunday but my gut says that I shouldn't spend too many hours standing on my feet with a broken toe. I will probably just eat the registration fee and not bother with it any further. I also signed up as a volunteer for the upcoming NYCRUNS Narrows Half Marathon, the NYCRUNS Queens Half Marathon (but I may be running it), and the Yonkers Marathon. I am just not ready to run those distances, yet, but I want to be part of it. And since I get race credit for every time I volunteer I cannot think of any better opportunity to be there through volunteering.

Last but not least, just a quick recap of the seventh installment of the PPTC Al Goldstein Speed Series on 8/13. I improved my time once more and was able to stay under 20 minutes. I finished the 5k course in 19:54 minutes (6:52 pace), placed 38th/292 total and 4th/24 in my age division. I doubt I will be able to run the last one on this series so I just want to mention that this was a great race series with a lot of bang for the buck.

Not sure what my next race is going to be. In the meanwhile, keep on running!