Houston, we have a problem

My calf. I strained it several weeks ago and it's still plaguing me, enough so I'm not sure if I'll be able to run the Celtic Solstice in less than two weeks (scream here.). I can go about 2.5 miles before it seizes up on me. It's just not fun and I'm not happy about it because, even though I've always been a slow runner, I can usually do the distance. I'm in decent cardio shape and everything else feels great, my legs have the ability to keep running but my calf is stopping me.

So I finally decided to do some research and found people talking about "the stick." Sounds sexy. Not really. Basically, people are shelling out inordinate amounts of cash for a stick to rub on their leg. Many people complained about the calf issue and said "the stick" really helps. After looking at it online I pondered a cheaper alternative -- a device that would help unball (not a word but whatever) my calf muscle. My solution -- a rolling pin. I have one of those longer ones. So I decided to give it a go. Now mind you, the calf stops hurting shortly after I stop running and isn't sore to the touch so imagine my surprise when my handy dandy rolling pin found the baseball-sized knot -- yeah, ouch. So I did the only thing I could do -- roll out the muscle and groan. It seems to be helping at least pinpoint the problem and get blood into the affected area for healing. So, we'll see.

I haven't had any issues running in the cold weather -- I heat up pretty fast. But the problem is maddening and, from what I've learned, quite common among runners.

So I'm trying to keep up with the bike work (inside on the trainer) and weight work. At this point I'm just not sure if I'm going to be able to do it. There's "fun" torture -- when you have to get up before dawn and stand in the freezing cold with a bunch of other crazies and run a race you figure you can finish. Then there's "stupid" torture when you realize your chances of finishing are based on when your body seizes up on you end up dragging your zombie-like (got it in there) carcass to the finish line. No fun. I'm hoping I'm ready for the fun torture because I've been looking forward to it.