This Weekend, 11 Miles or 5.5 if you're me!

Many thoughts are zipping around in my mind - where to start?

I guess I can start by giving a BIG THANK YOU to the people that have pushed me over the edge of my fundraising goal! Family - Aunt Flossie and Cousin Kristine and families, current friends - Melanie and Wade Dressler, and high school friends - Angela Grice, and Albert (Gonzalez) Pantoja. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Over $1,300 for the kids of Easton :) They and I so appreciate your help! :)

Next, my knee update. All I can do is blurg it all out - my right knee hurts and it makes me want to quit. If I didn't get close to $300 last week towards this running gig, I might have said "Forget this whole thing", but since I believe things happen for a reason, I think the mad rush of moola came a long to keep me going. I can say to someone, "I really hurt, and this stinks, and why do I want to put myself through this", but on the other hand I feel I can't say, "Thanks for your money, I'm bailing." So, on with the show I go.

I did have my high school reunion last weekend, which was an utter blast! Prior to going, my coach suggested I take the week and the 5 mile run off, rest up. :D And boy, I DID! I ran maybe 100 feet in a parking lot that weekend; it was nice to power myself and know I could run without being winded. However, I also took the next week off (this past week) because I was away and hadn't brought any of my stuff - no sneakers, no running gear - bubkis. So yesterday was the first day in 2 weeks I was going to run. I was nervous. I had no idea how my knees or hip would feel. I knew I wasn't going to make the 11 miles, that was out of the question. I was aiming for 5, my coach alluded to 7ish with walking the rest of the way. I just had to listen to my body. THANKFULLY, I had my best running buddy there and she was a HUGE encourager!

So off we all started, 6 a.m., down Oxford Road. Hot and humid, but do-able. Around the 1st mile marker, my right knee started to say, "hello!" We continued our 3:2 pace until mile 2. We met up with another group who was doing a 2:3 pace (run 2 mins., walk 3. Who knew you could do it that way?!) So L. and I said, eh, let's try a 3:3. We met up with our coach along the way and she suggested we do a 2:3 like the other group. We were quizzical about how that could be better for us, but I tell you what - I didn't miss the extra minute of running. I've turned into an old softie! At one point I felt like I could do better walking than running! We had a 18:33 mile! That's horrific! That was including running! L is a good gal to put up with me and my lame knee. Her knees hurt, too. I don't know how she goes on.

Well, we passed Miles 3, 4 and 5, and my heart was a little happy. I passed my own little cut off of 5 miles! I was just hoping my knee would hold out a bit longer. As we ran down Harrison Street, just after crossing Dover Street, in an instant my knee nearly killed me. I really hurt. Being stubborn (at times I can be) I just wanted to get to Mile 6, which I thought was at Goldsborough, just a block away. No yellow sign, surely it was just a few minutes away if I were in good running condition. Since I wasn't, and I stumble/scuffled while walking, I didn't get to see it. L & I gave each other a sweaty hug, and I left her to go it alone! She's one brave cookie! So, I packed it in, took off my water belt and headed back to our meeting place. I saw other gals who started a half hour after us, running the same street we ran 5 minutes ago. Eh, whatcanyoudo, those gals are gazelle-like and healthy. I just concentrated on getting back to the park without being too discouraged, I was doing what was best for my knee, I couldn't do the rest of the run today.

Arriving at the park, I realized that I didn't have my keys - we put them in a drop box like we're drunks (so we don't have to run with them, really). One of our coaches drove up and said that the other coach was out looking for me (aww! I love that! They really do care for you during this Marathon Rocks endeavour). She listened to my story of knee and no hip pain and she said, "Sounds like runner's knee probably brought on with the IT Band action." Great! Now I have TWO ailments I have to work on/around/with. Blurg.

I got home and I was walking OK, with a limp, but OK. Our head coach called at lunch time and suggested insoles and to build up my hamstring and quad muscles. At home coach, Derek, agreed. Last night I could barely walk, and this morning HUGE pain. But! Thank God for Advil! I've been doing much better ever since!

Everyone is so encouraging and telling me I can do this. "If you look ahead and look back you'll be glad you kept going." I don't like this pain. I don't like having to decide if living with and working through this pain is worth the goal of finishing a half marathon. The other goal of raising money has been obtained, by kindness of others. Really, I could wimp out now but still have helped out, which was an objective. Is the excitement of crossing that finish line worth the extra time and effort now? I guess I'm figuring it is. My friend, L, reminded me that this is hugely mental, I have to reframe my thoughts and opinion of myself and situation. I have to toughen up. I am, after all, a New Yorker! You can't get much tougher than that, right? And I just spent some time in NY - what am I thinking? I drove in NYC! I braved rush hour traffic in one of the most populated cities in the country! Of course I can do this! OK - Here I go - I'm getting ready to get over this pity party. Life's tough, get a helmet (or some Advil, knee braces, coaches and trainers, etc.!). Next week - a scheduled and will-be-successful - 6 mile run! :)

Thanks for letting me blurg and blog! :] Sue