Racing superstition

It's now 4 days to the Boston Marathon.

I'm not normally a superstitious person. However....

A few weeks ago, I received a Boston Marathon jacket in the mail. Courtesy of my employer, HP. It's a very cool looking jacket and I decided to wear it to a running club function. Well...a few of my running friends pointed out that wearing such a jacket BEFORE one has actually run the race is very bad luck. As I said earlier, I'm not a superstitious person, so I laughed it off.

Here is what has happened in the last 3-4 weeks. First I strained my left hamstring and had to cut out my threshold runs to rest it and prevent further damage. The hammy took it's time healing and I had to skip one of my favorite 5K races, the Bellaire Trolley Run. As the hammy healed, I noticed my calves getting tight during runs. Fortunately, they are not an issue anymore. The issue now is my lower back. Yep, I strained it last Sunday loading a lawnmower into my truck.

So, yesterday I went to a specialist to see if a quick cure was possible. After $100 of treatment, I've learned that a cure for strained lower back muscles in one hour is not possible.

Today is Thursday. My back hurts. I can barely stand up after sitting. And the marathon is 4 days away. I really did want to run Boston hard...so did Bagwell want to play this season. At this point, I'll be lucky to finish.

If there is anyone out there who knows how to "reverse the curse," please let me know.