Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

Rest day. Although it still hurts, my knee is feeling much better, which is encouraging. I plan to take it easy next week for as long as it takes, and hopefully I'll get better quickly. If things don't keep improving, I may try to get in to see a doctor.

AM: I'm avoiding downhill running until I'm sure my knee is better, so I woke up this morning and drove to Liberty Park, where I ran seven laps on the cinder track (10.1 miles). My knee felt good throughout the run--not normal, but not hurt, either--but it was pretty stiff and a little sore afterward. I iced it when I got home, and know I think it feels about the same as it did before the run. I'll be glad if I'm not getting worse, but I hope to see some improvement, too. I miss the trails already. 

1:10:30

PM: No more running today. My knee has been up and down throughout the day, but right now it really hurts so rest is probably the answer. This sucks. 

I've decided to take some time off and see what happens. I hate to do it, because the next few weeks are when I need to be training hard to be ready for Speedgoat, but I won't be ready fpr anything if my knee doesn't heal. I think I'll use day passes at one of the local rec centers and swim some laps to maintain my fitness while my knee recovers.

PM: I went to the aquatic center and swam continuously for an hour. I feel good now, but I haven't swam in a couple of years, so I wonder if I'll be able to lift my arms tomorrow morning. 

I'm happy to say my arms survived yesterday's swim, so swimming will be a viable cross training option for as long as me knee is giving me trouble. But injured or not, I need to get ready for the mountains, so this morning I decided to see if my knee could handle the stair-stepper. 

I spent an hour on the machine, during which I covered only 2.8 miles. According to the machine I also ascended well over 4,000 feet, so it was probably the best thing I could do to get ready for Speedgoat without actually running up mountains. And so far it didn't seem to hurt my knee at all.

AM: According to the email I received yesterday, there's a spot for me at Logan Peak this weekend, which makes my knee problem that much more annoying. Although I already knew I shouldn't run, I moved my appointment with the doctor up with hopes that he would tell me to go ahead. He didn't.

Apparently, I have "a textbook case of runner's knee," or patellofemoral pain syndrome. In other words, I ran too hard down too many hills with too little recovery and pounded the #$%@ out of the cartilage behind my right kneecap. Actually, that's a bit strong--so far I've just pounded the heck out of it. The remedy is rest (but not complete rest, by golly), physical therapy and stability shoes (possibly with orthotics).

I'm on board with the first two (only because insurance will cover the therapy), but I'm not so sure about the third. I don't want to go all Born to Run on anyone--I'm not worried that the shoes will hurt me--but I'm skeptical that the shoes will really make a difference. And I'm not sure I want to drop 70 bucks on a pair of Mountain Masochists to find out, especially when my Cascadias have plenty of life left in them. Please let me know if you have an opinion one way or the other.

Anyways, the doctor says I'm probably fine running on the track, and he says I can use the stair stepper, although he doesn't really endorse it. But so far the stair machine seems to leave my leg feeling better (plus, Speedgoat), so I think I'll keep using it. I'll also throw in regular miles on the track so I don't forget how to run. I'd like to join my friend on his Timp run/scramble next Friday, so that will serve as an indicator of where I stand. If my knee handles it, I'll ease back into my regular routine. If not, I'll revise my plans accordingly.

As for this morning's workout--another hour on the stair machine for a sweaty good time. According to the machine, I ascended well over 4,000 feet, but who knows how accurate that is. According to the same machine, my effort was equal to 25K in an hour, and we all know that probably isn't happening for anyone ever and certainly not for me right now. I'll just put down three miles and call it good.

PM: I ran four easy miles on the track with Tigger. An hour later my knee seems to be holding up fine, so that's encouraging. I'm still tentatively planning on racing the Gruesome Grizzly on Saturday to test my knee (and my speed). 

30:28

Another easy four miles on the track this evening with a few strides thrown in. So far my knee seems to be improving. We'll see how it behaves tomorrow.

28:58 

AM: Catherine and I went down to Provo for the Gruesome Grizzly 8K. I'm sure I could learn some lessons from this morning, but right now I'd rather forget the whole thing.

I wasn't even sure if I should be running because of my knee, and by the time we arrived at the start I decided that I was going to run with Catherine instead of racing off the front. But when we started I couldn't resist, and I settled into third place as we left the parking lot.

I was fine up the first climb, but my stomach felt a little off. That's no surprise--it usually feels off when I push hard. I think that's because I almost never train for this kind of effort, so when it's time to go my stomach doesn't know what to do. Anyways, instead of pushing through I gave up mentally, and shortly after, on the Grizzly climb, I pretty much gave up physically.

I could have run that climb, but instead I walked most of it (almost all of it, in fact). Several runners caught me and passed me, but I decided to tuck into the group and hang on for the ride. At the top of the climb I passed a couple of runners on the flat and settled into a groove, but I just couldn't push. My head wasn't in the game, and my body responded accordingly. I'm the master of negative self-talk, and after a mile I had worked myself into quite a funk.

So of course, when my knee started acting up on the descent, I cracked. I don't regret that I walked in for the last 1.5 miles--there was no reason to push through and make my knee worse--but I do regret that I was happy to have an excuse to quit, and I'm disappointed with the way my race went up until that point.

It's interesting to listen to your thoughts as runners pass you continuously as you walk to the finish. Mine fell into three categories: jealousy ("look at that punk running--I wish I could still run"), guilt (almost every runner who passed me had something encouraging to say--I wish I could have responded by putting in an effort), and shame(I felt this urge to explain to everyone that I was walking because I was hurt because I was afraid people would think I just couldn't handle the course). 

Anyways, some days are better than others. After the race, Catherine and I chatted with Jun for a while, and we both won prizes in the raffle. Plus, Catherine took third in her age group, extending her reign of terror (such as it is) to two weeks. So it wasn't all bad :)

PM: Catherine had to work in the afternoon, so I decided to hike up Grandeur Peak after lunch. (And that was a planned hike--not a planned run that turned into a hike when I couldn't cut it.) That trail is still a beast--over 3,00 feet of vertical in about two miles. My knee was fine on the way up, but it protested all the way down. In fact, I actually descended more slowly than I climbed. Needless to say, my knee and I are not on speaking terms right now.