Got The Niggles

One of New Jersey's top runners, Aidan Walsh, is an Irishman. I tell you that for two reasons; first, I love listening to an Irish brogue; second, it means he speaks English a bit differently than I do. Aidan, who competes for his employer, Running Company, recently won the Ashenfelter 8K Classic race.

When chatting with Aidan after the race, I asked how his training was going and he said something like, "Pretty well, but I have a few niggles." A couple were then listed, followed by, "There are always niggles." Aidan's use of "niggles" was new to me. I knew the term, but would have said, "a couple of niggling things." I liked the usage, and today, well, I've got a couple of niggles. My right hamstring and left achilles have been bugging me. During my run today, my left calf muscle was hurting, though it seemed to loosen up late in the run.

When I was young, I rarely had anything bugging me. Here in middle-age, rare is the day when some niggling thing isn't annoying me. Just because I was feeling crummy, I decided to try a trick I was told about for your tough days. This is one that was discussed Monday by Andrew at Downeast Running - counting your steps. It simply is a mind game to keep you occupied so you don't think about how lousy you're feeling. I did it half-heartedly for part of my run, but really wasn't feeling bad enough to need the mental escape.

So, I've got the niggles. Thank you, Aidan, for teaching me a bit more about my native tongue.