Switching to the 5K

I set out to run 7 miles this morning.  I ran 5 miles on Tuesday and was feeling optimistic that I could manage 7 miles without my back hurting me.  Unfortunately I was wrong.  Within 2 miles my back went from being sore to hurting.  Each step I took grew more painful.  I felt the nerve shoot right down my left leg.  I turned around and came home, walking back. 

I feel so defeated.  I hate that my back is still bothering me a month after the car accident.  I hate that I was feeling pretty strong before and now I feel weak.  But most of all I hate the pressure of trying to figure out each week when I'm going to get long runs in and how I'm going to adjust the training schedule as another week goes by when I can't do it.  I just came to the realization that my body still needs time to heal.  I don't want to have another painful race that I'm just getting through.  I want to run another half marathon and go into it feeling strong, capable of doing my best. 

I'm downgrading from the half marathon to the 5K.  I will keep running 3-4 times a week hoping to manage 2-4 miles each time.  If I need to take a day off then I will.  That coupled with continued visits to my chiropractor, acupuncture, and maybe some massages will hopefully allow my back to heal so I can come back stronger.  I just hope this doesn't derail me too much from getting back into longer distances.