Interesting morning. There was a 5K in Hillsboro that I had wanted to race. The course profile looked great for a pr--open roads, pancake flat with few turns. The weather cooperated also as it was 50 degrees and zero wind. What didn't cooperate was my lower abs and groin. So frustrating... I drove to the race and ran 9 miles before the start. I threw in a few strides now and then to test things out and each time felt worse. It's to the point that pain is nearly zero for an easy pace but if I pick up the pace it's a different story. Anyway, decided that racing would be pointless today. I jumped in my car and drove to the Nike headquarters in Beaverton to try and salvage the morning. I've wanted to run around the Nike complex since moving here and so today was my chance. I found the wood-chip trail and ran 1.5 laps (3 miles?) and then a few laps on the track as well. At the side of the track was a life-size sculpture of Michael Johnson, complete with golden spikes from the 96 Olympics in Atlanta. Very cool environment to run in/around. Not sure what to do about my abs. Seems like some time off is in the cards if the situation doesn't change soon. Boston (231) | 