Sunday, January 24

7 Weeks till Dallas RnR

I haven't been by in a while, so I figured I should stop by and share some thoughts on running over the last couple of months. It has been full of turmoil to say the least, and it has definitely challenged my well-being and ability to adjust.
To start with I finally bit the bullet and did another 5K. My last 5K experience was a disaster, it came the morning after one of the most horrible nights in my life, and I basically broke down to the point of not being able to run. With that in the back of my head and weighing on me through several failed attempts to do a 5K, I finally signed up for the OKC Turkey Trot. I didn't PR which was not expected since I really hadn't trained any since my last race in October and was just happy to finish the race. The day after this race is when all the problems started...
I went out for a 5 miler the next day to try and get back on track - later that day or maybe the next I noticed that my knee felt bruised on the inside of the knee cap. Since this point I have had no end to pain throughout my knee, on top, under the knee cap, IT band, the side... I'm not sure what the deal is and as always I refuse to get it checked out. I have been nursing it and have cut back on my running since that point to keep it happy.
This has made my training for the Dallas RnR difficult as I wanted to push hard to get at least a 7 min PR and really see how good I can be when I apply myself completely. It also scares me because I want to commit to the Flying Pig in may to see my family back East. I'm afraid that something will happen between now and the race and I won't be able too, or that I will push too hard and make it worse. I'm not good at pulling back or admitting that I need a rest so I am trying to be stronger then I want to be.

I have to thank my pup Jenga through all of this. She is always so eager to go out for a run so i have started taking her out for the first 30 minutes every night. She keeps me from speeding up too fast and she keeps the fun in what is difficult for me to take.

I think i've rambled on enough - but just wanted to get some thoughts out. All mainly to say I'm scared of the pain in my knee and what I should do for it...