The miles keep adding up

My goal this year is to run 1,600 miles. That’s 133 miles a month, 30.6 a week, or 4.4 a day. When you look at it per day, it seems like it’s an easier task. Looking at the average I’d need to keep the entire month makes it a little more daunting. I’ve scribbled down every mile I’ve ever run since I started running in 2004 and the only times I’ve topped 130 miles in a month was when I was training for a marathon. In August 2005, I ran 133 miles. Last October, I ran 173 miles, and last December I ran 148 miles.
Before this month, the most I’d ever run in a month when I was not training for a marathon was 114 miles in January. Today, I did a 6-miler and wound up with 127 miles for the month.
Now, I’m still behind the 1,600-miles-per year pace. But, I figure when I train for the White Rock Lake Marathon starting in January, I’ll more than make up the deficit.
The February mileage has taken a little toll on my health. I’ve got a slight pain in my left arch and a nagging pain in my lower leg. Both pains go away when I’m running, though the leg pain _ I hurt it trying Feb. 5 jumping awkwardly out of the street to avoid an oncoming car _ is becoming bothersome. It feels like a deep, deep bruise. Funny thing is the faster I run, the better it feels. But when I’m slow _ which means at the beginning of runs, it’s like torture.
I get to see my son this weekend, so I think I’m going to _ gulp _ take a few days off from running and enjoy being drooled on.
February running totals: 127.74 miles, 19 hours, 24 minutes, 52 seconds. Pace: 9:07 minutes/mile.