Big sigh.

That’s the attitude today brings as thunderstorms pass through Western New York, my body starts to adjust to the whirlwind of travel and time change and my entire being wants to return to training.

Only I can’t just yet.

See, that unlucky landing in the water the day before the 70.3 race in Galveston, Texas continues to be a pest.

The swelling as decreased and is practically gone but there still is some tenderness and pain. And in talking with my coach, Peter Pimm, we decided to remain in essence shut down until Thursday.

I’m afraid I may forget how to run in this time!

And it’s frustrating because I have found something I love to do and want to do. Something that is part of the essence of who I am, who I have become and who I want to be.

And now, I have to wait and let my body heal.

There is a reason for the proliferation of sports medicine-types available to the general public and one of them is based on this very quandary — the desire to run and workout and train while recovering from an injury. It’s part of that sports ethic which teaches us to play hurt and push through pain. And certainly there are some types of pain we do push through. But if you listen carefully, you’ll understand what kind of message your body is sending you. Is the pain telling you to stop? Is it telling you to push harder? Is it signifying that you need to just calm down for few moments in time?

Swimming will be my only workout for the next few days. Sweet solace. My body is craving physical activity at the moment.

And as the swirling intensity of the last 14 days blows past me, the next few days can offer me some quiet time to think about what my body is trying to tell me.

Then, I can return to the road, not healed physically and ready to build for the next challenge.