Massochistic training

I can't seem to get my calf right.  I still refuse to see a doctor and the common self-medication thing is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).  I had been doing everything but the compression as I didn't have one.  I finally bought a heat compress and do it daily.  What I found out is that "Rest" doesn't mean a couple hours, it means a couple days.  I don't know though, I think if I take a week off, I won't want to start up again.  I think this because I went two months with never missing a day, than I helped a friend move into his new apartment on a Saturday, (Monday was my day off), so I took that day off but made up for it on Monday.  On the following Wednesday, I took another day off because I hung out at my friend's apartment till 12:30AM so didn't have time.  Again, the following Monday I made up for it.  Then the very next day (Tuesday) I again took the day off because I met someone for a drink that lasted 4 hours so got home late.  I decided to stop making up days and moved my day off to Sunday (now that the marathon is Saturday, not Sunday, I revised my training for big Saturday runs).  I also stopped doing strengthening on my days off.  My day off, is just stretching from now on, though I'll still strengthen twice a week.  So, I went 2 months never missing a day, then for two straight weeks I missed days.  So, once I break my routine, I seem to downward spiral.  As for my calf, it still acts up every now and then but it's not a daily pain and the pain seems to have dimished but I'm still worried it'll tear in the next couple months. 

Last Thursday was my first 10K (6.2) miles.  I was nervous because I looked it as a milestone since last November I told my friend's marathon partner that I could never run a 10K (she made it sound like anyone could). Even though my longest run a day in high school was 8.5 miles, I never thought I could.  So I took all the precautions necessary, I ate a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast, had a lunch I know I can run on, 1.5 hours before the run, I drank a 20oz of gatorade.  I even bought the GU 1 series gummies and ate an entire pack 15 minutes before the run like you're supposed to....the run was SIMPLE!!! In fact, I got so upset at how easy it was,that when I ran another 10K yesterday, I cut everything in half.  I had eggs for breakfast with a 20oz of vitamin water. Only ate a half pack of the GU series and did the run in the hottest part of the day.  I finished, but it was harder. The thing is, I don't want to develop a tolerance to the preparation and not have it work when I need it most...marathon day.  Given how easy the first 10k was, I think if I feel like that on marathon day, I will be able to complete it. Hopefully, I will but I don't anticipate going through all that preparation unless I actually fail to complete one of my runs.

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