Maranoia Niggles


Admittedly, I watch too many videos on YouTube about running. A few of the channels I watch are based in Europe. They use the word kit to describe your running clothes, and I find myself using this term, too. They also use the word niggle to describe a minor doubt, objection, or complaint. The likelihood of a niggle during the maranoia phase is elevated. I developed one last week. Below, I share what caused it and how I fixed it.

I was getting towards the expected mileage out of a pair of running shoes. I was also coming off my peak week of mileage. Unfortunately, I have become lax in stretching post-run. This was a perfect storm for developing even tighter calf muscles, which led to pain at the back of my heel. Fortunately, it was not an injury and just a niggle. Thankfully, I wasn’t sidelined from running. I started stretching again and removed the old shoes from my running rotation. I am back to normal.

Overall, last week’s runs continued to teach me lessons. My hill repeat session reinforced that I should not go out too fast, even if it feels good to run fast. My pace run reminded me how hard it can be to slow down to hit an exact pace, which I will need for the first 10 miles of CIM. I saw the full rainbow in the picture during my 12-mile long run. I take it as a sign that things are coming up: rainbows and (eventually) unicorns.

What YouTube channels do you watch? Do you find yourself using vocabulary from other parts of the world? Please share your experience below in the comments.

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