August 1, 2017 WHAT HURTS THE MOST

I'm pretty sure I have a case of TMR--TOO MUCH RUNNING. My legs ache--I have a little tendinitis in my right foot--each calf muscle feels as tight as a fist. Not sure how it happened?? One day I was out enjoying my runs and the next--MY LEGS FELT LIKE TOTEM POLES. NOT GOOD-- the Kelley Road Race is Saturday so I need to get better quick! Seriously, the only reason I have TMR in the first place is because I've been getting ready for the race. It's another 13.1.  That means long runs on the weekend in addition to my usual runs which together EQUAL-- TMR. The only remedy I know of is REST--an INCREDIBLY hard thing for me to do. I HAVE to  force myself to take it EASY this week. Will only go out for a few easy runs AND then TRY TO STAY OFF MY FEET as much as possible. Will be glad when this race is over. It's really a tough run in the heat that I am NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO. I've been trying to ignore it--to stave off the stress and anxiety for as long as possible. Good Luck to all the runners who are CRAZY enough to run the race this weekend. Look forward to having a beer or two with you at the pub after the race. CHEERS. Beers and pubs made me think of Albert "Shoe" Horn the main character in Ron McLarty's excellent novel The Dropper.  He's overwhelmed with responsibilities because his father spends all of his time at the pub.

 If you loved McLarty's first novel Memory of Running, then you owe it to yourself to read The Dropper.  Set in England in 1922, Shoe Horn is a seventeen year old  plumber's apprentice by day and boxer, trying to make a name for himself, by night. Because his father is an abusive alcoholic,  Shoe has to care for his younger special needs brother, Bobby. Shoe is a determined young man who wants a better life, but he faces adversity at every turn. His boss drinks all day and sends Shoe to every dirty job in the city including the sewers. He also has a mishap while boxing and decides to hang up his gloves forever.  As his world changes, Shoe is forced to make some hard decisions. Although he loves his brother very much, Bobby is getting older and Shoe can not longer take care of him appropriately. Shoe is torn between his loyalty and love for his brother and his own need to succeed in life. Find out what happens in this often funny, but also heartbreaking tale of  a brother who is forced to make decisions that will change the future for both of them. Check out this book if you get a chance--it's about 290 pages--a 3.5 mile run that you will never forget. Guaranteed.