I almost got myself injured today… over something stupid.
Sunday is my long run day.
10 miles. No excuses.
I showed up ready. Legs felt good. Weather was perfect.
The only problem?
My regular running shoes are cooked — 300+ miles on them — so I grabbed my trail shoes instead.
And if you know anything about running, you already know that trail shoes on pavement are a terrible idea.
I knew it.
I did it anyway.
I got to the trail, stretched like always, took off… and everything felt fine.
Smooth. Easy. Locked in.
Until mile 3.
Out of nowhere, my left calf tightened up.
Sharp. Deep.
The kind of pain that makes you instantly slow down.
I tried to shake it out.
One more step and I knew — this wasn’t soreness. This was my body saying, “Stop.”
So I did.
And walking back to my car, I was pissed.
I wanted the miles. I wanted the win.
Instead I got a reminder.
That pain wasn’t bad luck.
It was feedback.
Different shoes.
Different stress.
Different load on my muscles and tendons.
If I had ignored it, I wouldn’t just miss today’s run — I’d miss weeks.
That’s the real lesson:
Progress isn’t about pushing through everything.
It’s about knowing when to listen.
Your body always tells you what it needs.
Most people just don’t stop long enough to hear it