I should have just listened to Aunt Ginny

So, my calf cramping problem has been bothering me both physically and mentally- I have been trying to figure out why I was only cramping in the first hour on long runs and not on other shorter runs.  I arrived at two possible causes: one, I was dehydrated from my long bike ride the day before; and/or two, I was tight from riding the bike.  Either way I am thinking that the bike is the culprit.  Also, a trigger point (an area that cramps and then continues to cause cramps in the future) in my right hamstring, that I have had since last summer, has started to get a little worse and my left hamstring is starting to bother me too.

I did a few searches on the internets and found that cycling causes tight hamstrings and that could in turn cause tight calves which in turn could cause plantar fasciitis (pain on the sole of the foot, which I have had some episodes of in the last few months).  Further digging turned up some yoga stretches (that Aunt Ginny suggested months ago) that focus in on exactly what and how I need to stretch; I'm now working on "opening up my pelvis" because a tight pelvis causes tight hammies, etc...  Fortunately, a lady that I teach with is a yoga instructor and showed my how to do the pigeon pose correctly.  I did the pose last night and then this morning before and after my 14-mile run and I had no cramping!  Yea yoga!

So, between running long the day before riding long and moving yoga into my weekly routine, I'm cautiously optimistic that I have found a cure for my calves and hamstrings and will be able to focus on training and not nursing moderate injuries.  This morning's run was in 39-degree air with a stiff wind out of the east and a little rain, but the day actually felt warm; geese were filling the fields around our neighborhood by the thousands and made for a noisy morning.  The biggest problem I had was that the dogs stole my banana from the front porch, that I was going to eat at the halfway point- this problem I can handle.