After a weekend of self-enforced rest and ZERO running, I went for a quick five-miler with a running friend last night, and (don't kill me Chuck) ran the 9 miles my marathon training schedule called for this AM, and I feel great. No soreness, no aching calves or limping.

Yeehaw!

The best thing (and the ONLY good thing) about an injury is coming back stronger than before. I hated not being able to run this weekend, but I committed (and was warned by several running friends) that what I needed was a few days of complete rest.

The exact words from Mike V. were: "You need some patience and rest" -- ah, yeah...two things most runners (type-A, go-go-go people like me) are in very short supply of.

I coped with a run-free weekend by packing my schedule with things to do -- I saw a play, two movies, took the kids to the paint-your-own-pottery place, went to the penninsula, etc., etc. I had my entire house -- all 3 floors -- cleaned by 10:38 Saturday morning. I made soup and meatballs (yes, I COOKED!).

So, now I'm back and I've got fresh legs, a clean house, a freezer full of turkey balls, and a renewed sense of the importance of listening to my body.