After setting the Triceratops Triathlon course, I usually race the course solo before the evening event. It's a good way to check things over and to see how my time would have placed me in the event... Usually mid-pack, I'm a pretty lame swimmer and biker. So Wednesday, I was feeling great, the swim felt good and the bike fast. I went out of transition two on the run feeling as if I had not biked, one of those days I call a pearl. Two miles into the 5K I was flying along smoothly, when a pain crept into my calf, not too bad but... I did the hardest thing. I did something smart. I stopped dead in my tracks and walked carefully to the finish.

It was a smart move, the calf is still hurting today and tender. I am sure if I had ran into the pain, I would not have been able to walk without a limp. My guess is I'll be OK in a week, had I finished it might take a month.

Run smart, it sucks but it will suck less than the alternative, dang,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who will be taking a few smart days off, dang.

PS - It is a rare year where several teams have dropped out of the legendary Dances With Dirt Hell Relay in September. Grab 4 friends and enter a 5 person team HERE. I promise you a day of full color, fully alive running in the natural world, a day you will cherish in your memories forever. Yes, you will get your butt kicked running 3 legs of about 4 miles each through pure Hell brought to you by Mother Nature and you will wake the next day licking your wounds with a permanent smile and a feeling of loss, wishing every day could be like DWD day.