Injuries scare the heck out of me. For one thing, the thought of not being able to run for an extended period of time terrifies me. For another, I do not really have an injury history. (Knock on wood. For reals.) I have no idea what is a big deal and what is not. My recent knee thing felt serious -- like it definitely could have held the potential for further, long-term injury. So I almost feel guilty to report that it had been totally fine since Sunday evening or so. I felt it a couple of times, oddly enough usually while laying down, in the day or so after RA. People kept telling me to expect it to hurt going down stairs. Well, I have stairs in my house and always take them at work and was not feeling the tiniest bit of discomfort. It was like, Dangit I wimped out on 100K for nothing! Totally false. It was because I stopped and rested a bit that things were back to normal so quickly. Still though, I sorta felt guilty for not being in more pain for a few more days. Weird, but it makes sense to me, so I am fine.
Still, since the very beginning it only actually hurt while running. I was aware of it at other times, but I only felt that catch while running. So until I tried to run, I could not be sure. I went on my first run since RA yesterday with Jeremy. We did what I call "red lite" at Quicksilver Almaden. The 50M course at the park consists of Red, Green, and Blue sections (on the map): red is the first half of the 50K, green is the second half of the 50K, and blue is the last twenty miles of the 50M. Red lite is red, without the first climb up Virl Norton -- thus, "red lite". Red lite is still a pretty challenging twelve miles and a terrific run. The hills are already turning brown, so it was a good time to say goodbye to the Spring wildflowers. Jeremy is fast, especially uphill. And he and I are very competitive, especially with eachother. So even though I kept telling myself and Jeremy that I would be taking it easy to test out the outer left knee, I knew that it was going to be tough to hold back even with a conscious effort.
I behaved myself in so much as I kept telling myself to take it easy. I do this thing where I roll my shoulders back and try to stand up straighter to slow myself down. I am not sure at all if it works, but it is what I do. I was doing that a lot. Jeremy was right on my heels, letting me take the lead since I knew where I was going. He had not been running consistently for a while, and not with me for even longer. He said he was worried about keeping up. I knew there was no chance I could lose him in anything under fifteen miles or so, so I knew he would not have any trouble. Last time I saw and ran with Jeremy was late January, when I was hella peaking for Surf City. To this day, I am not sure I have ever felt faster. Jill and I ran into him on Los Gatos Creek Trail at the Lexington end of Vasona. I took off and he followed me. We were flying, probably close to 7:00 pace for a couple of miles (both of us already several miles into our runs). Jeremy was right there behind me, and I wondered if I could ever make him go away. Then...he started chatting with me. Probably about his Dodgers. He was calm and peaceful as could be. Uh oh. I knew I was dust. He realized I would be terrible company, since I had no air for words, and he took off for Campbell Park. He beat me there by a couple of minutes. Even if he had been away from running for a while, or even since then, no way waiting up for him was going to be an issue.
We cruised along, with the first half of the run being the totally kickass New Almaden Trail -- six miles of single track wildflower green goodness. Clicking along at 10:00 pace, which I consider darn solid on this trail, we both still had plenty of air and patience to chit chat. Me made the turn up Mine Hill at Guadalupe, then back mostly Randol to Capehorn then down Hacienda. Jeremy stayed with me pretty much from the intersection of Randol and Prospect #3 to the parking lot, because his endurance was starting to catch up with him. We were entering my sweet spot, but he usually only runs about ten miles on his own (and always without carrying water, as he was not today). So although he was running away up Mine Hill and Randol, by the time we got to the picnic table that marks the final stretch for me, he was content to hang with me. (Most people think I can run pretty ridiculously fast uphill. OK. Imagine Jeremy running away from me and disappearing into the woods within the first hundred yards. I know how you folks behind me on the hills feel now.) He actually could not keep up with me for the descent down Hacienda, because his quads were blown out to the point of not being able to run downhill. I may never be faster than Jeremy (who is an ex-pro D League soccer player, so obviously a gifted athlete), but at least I can give him a good workout these days.
Much more importantly, however, is that my knee held up like a champ. Not a single complaint from it all day. I may have felt "it" (haha...or IT...runners get it) a few times along the way, but never that "catch". I am still going to take it easy. I am still not going to try and PR at NorCal Half next weekend -- and have found the perfect way to insure that. But I am no longer concerned about my start at Quicksilver 50M in just over a couple of weeks. I swear I was not wussing out at RA. That could have been serious. That WAS serious. I just got lucky again. I can still claim no history of injuries. I can still claim ignorance of what is really serious, but just may have a good sense of what it is now. Racing competitively can really test you. You have to be tough enough to finish when you can, and still smart enough to know to stop when you must. That truly must be as much art as science. I am working on it. So far so good. I have been very fortunate. And for twelve miles yesterday, I felt gratitude that my body has put up with what it has. Twelve miles of gratitude for this very durable body that is mine due as much to good luck (genetics) as hard work. I know so many people who do not run or are not active simply because they cannot. It is an emotional thing for me, and I run for them always. Hang in there, body. Especially outer left knee.
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