Why Runners are Idiots

I have been suffering the last few days with tightness in my shins, if I was being a grown-up I would call this tightness shin splints but I call them a niggle, because I'm a runner.

It's a niggle

So I have a niggle, I have had a niggle for a while and instead of resting my niggle I have kept on running, because I'm a runner. When I am out for an "easy" run and I see another runner going faster than me I speed up like a dog chasing a stick because I'm runner. I don't have an easy pace for running, I have "Balls, I could have run that a bit faster." and "Agh! I over did that I think my lungs are going to explode!" because, yes you guessed it, I'm a runner.   Sometimes I wish I wasn't a runner, sometimes I wish I was a normal human being and had the ability to be rational and objective about my training. I wish I could know that taking it easy today would help me to go faster tomorrow. But like all of life's great lessons learning to take it easy sometimes and rest when you need to is a lesson that I suspect I am doomed to have to learn over and over again.   But for now at least I am going to pretend that I have learnt my lesson, I promise I will do my stretches, rest on my rest days and do my easy runs at easy pace. At least until I think I can get away with it or I see someone running faster than me!   On a plus note I am the dog that almost always catches the stick, even if it kills me!