Catch Up and Fries

Coast

The last few weeks have been, uh, well, crazy to put it mildly. Everything is new and different. I’m beginning to think the knee injury was a blessing, since it would’ve been stressful trying to cram running every day into the crowded disco party that my life seems to have strolled into recently. Let’s see, new town, new job, missing two great races I was registered for and very excited about (Bighorn 100 and Devils Backbone 50 mile), and wondering whether I’d ever run longer distances again with a wacky knee pain that never got worse than a sharp pain but was aggravating and didn’t react to ice, rest, massage, exercise, nothing, just always seemed to begin hurting about 15 mins into EVERY run I tried.

New hangout

So, two weeks into a new routine (work every day mostly), I decided today to give it a go yet again. After Karl Meltzer’s amazing finish in the Hardrock 100 yesterday, I figured I could manage at least a couple miles. I’ve taken an incredible amount of time off since the pain in the knee showed up at the Sage Burner 50k on May 23rd. For the first time in five years I have doubts weather I could run over 25 miles in one shot. I’ve lost a lot of muscle in the legs (which I could afford to lose since my legs seemed rather large from all the uphill running I was doing). Unfortunately, that means strength loss as well. Regardless, I laced up the road shoes and headed out this morning fully anticipating the pain to emerge as usual. Sure enough, it began hurting just 5 minutes into it, likely due to the fact that I live on top of a very large ‘hill’ about a half mile long and running down it is clumsy and pounding. So, I accepted the pain and figured I’d run for 12 mins and turn around for the 12 mins back. Exploring the new area, I kept going for a while. Suddenly, at about 3 miles into the run, I was coming around a corner and something SNAPPED in my knee, like the E string that was plucked on a guitar. Along with this was a searing pain the disappeared as fast as it registered in my mind. Great, now I have one of those old man “bad knee” injuries that will likely end all exercise for life.

But wait a minute. Ten strides later and there’s no pain, not even the ache that’s been there for seven weeks. Something happened in that snap that must have released whatever was rubbing or pinching a nerve. I kept going and going. Three more miles later and I’m literally almost choked up that I can run again without that ache. The rest of me is beginning to feel the near hour long run but those feelings of fatigue are welcomed. I ended up with eight miles, the longest run I’ve done since May 23. I got home, stretched out and walked Pippit around the neighborhood for a bit. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high but at least I was able to enjoy a run today for a change.

Of course, one decent run and I’m already looking at race calendars. I need to do some catching up!

After freaking out from leaving Boulder at first, I’ve come to really begin looking into this place and feel I’ll be very happy here. I visited this area in 1999 and considered it a dream place to live back then, so, here I am and I plan to learn all about it and soak up all there is here.

Finally got around to picking up the new Trail Runner Magazine and would like to thank them for mentioning my blog, also the photo on pg 2 was a nice surprize as well.