The Nashville Country Music Half Marathon is tomorrow and Wendy and I won't be running it this year as was planned. We hit a very rough patch in mid March and decided to cancel it and focus on the Steamboat Classic 2015 4 mile race along with rejoining team steam and the IVS half marathon groups for the year. Wendy continues to train at a great pace and is already at 38 minutes on the 4 mile test runs and with my track testing last week, I am around 42 minutes.
Yesterday I was forced into a prompt care to have my knee pain examined. I have dislocated my left knee multiple times over my active years and it was getting hard to walk at work and also hard to run after medication and while wearing a support band. I was told what I have heard since I herniated my lower back discs at work 10 years ago... "You need to stop running". Every time I hear that a piece of me dies, and no its not the fat part! My response was as usual and I explained that I am not ready to quit yet, but that I did start indoor RPM biking classes last winter. That is my backup cardio for running as I age and take on more injuries, which I have become prone to. 2014 was full of them. Compartment syndrome in my shin (almost dropping me out of our half marathon), herniated disk flares (not uncommon), blood clots, plantar faccitis and a knee dislocation. 2015 has finally started with me being temporarily finished. Since that word is not in my vocabulary, I will continue to run on "good" days as I gear up for my umpteenth MRI and prepare for the upcoming Steamboat Classic. My diet has went south a little bit. My coping mechanism has long been known to be booze. Those weekly unit numbers are up and I started using electronic cigarettes again during this stressful period. Also since I now live by myself most of the week I eat more processed foods and do not follow a healthy eating pattern. I have to re adjust all these new/old trends as I gear up for more RPM classes and low mileage weeks running.
I'm in the garage for repairs physically and emotionally, but that is life at times. Sometimes we don't even make it out. Its important to count my blessings and get this year in high gear. If this was a blog about my family life including my 10 year old (going on 20) daughter and I, it would be much longer!
Happy running!
E.J.
