Saturday, February 19, 2011

7 Weeks until the Half Marathon

As some of you know, I have signed up for the Canberra Half Marathon which is April 10th.  I've been training for 7 weeks and am at my midpoint.  Today I got up early this morning feeling a bit reluctant about the long run I needed to accomplish. I knew I needed to increase my time by 10 minutes, but after the week I had I wasn't feeling so confident. Last Saturday, I participated in my first Dragon Boat Regatta.  It was a lot of fun, but I used parts of my body that just don't get used!  I have been exhausted all week.  My runs this week have been quite "light" and easy because I haven't had a lot of energy.  As I was getting ready to head out this morning, procrastinating, my daughter woke up and said to me, "break a leg, Mom".  Well, seeing her was just the incentive I needed to get out the door.  I set out at a slow, steady pace. The day before I drove my loop to confirm it was 13km, so I just needed to add the loop around the ponds out front of my house to reach 16km. I love running through Gungahlin while the shops are getting ready to open and just a few people are out getting coffee, walking, cycling, or running. Its a peaceful scene. As I reached the center of town (about 4 km in) I knew I was going to reach my goal. I felt like I was floating over the road. My legs were strong, my breathing and pace steady. Then, it happened. As I was running my last 10 minutes my ole familiar knee pain came back. This injury has been the reason I have not yet completed either a half or full marathon (after several attempts).  My first attempt was back in 2000, I believe.  I finished the training (running 22 miles before tapering) although my knees were a problem for me for most of the long runs.  I showed up on race day hoping to make it through.  I couldn't even make it 3 miles.  It was very disappointing. Today, I thought about pushing through the pain, but decided that maybe if I take care of myself, and not push through it like I did every other time I might have a chance of reaching my goal. So, I finished my run happy with the results and hopeful that I can find some way to take care of the pain before it becomes a real problem for me. Any suggestions on healing knee pain?

1 comment:

  1. Go Sarah! I am so happy you are reaching your goal. I know you've talked about doing this for sometime. It is great that you are taking care of yourself. Your are quite inspiring my friend! I can't wait to cheer you on (of course state side)during your marathon. I will keep sending you healthy motivational thoughts....you can do it.

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