Run Like Hell

18 weeks of training culminated on Sunday morning at 6:30 am. Everything from running in the driving rain, the heat, May gray, watching road bikers get hit on PCH, passing Leucadia Donut Shop, 3 pairs of shoes, 6 am runs, not surfing, burning over 2k worth of calories, and knee pain. It was an interesting experience, all that time, back in February when it felt like this day would never come. There was a time that I actually looked forward to the long runs. When I got back from running 20 miles, I'll never forget how proud of myself I was. Never had I thought when I was running through corn fields at Lehigh before practice would I actually enjoy the sport of running. Now I actually enjoy it.....well I really just enjoy the feeling afterwards. This was how I felt at 11 pm on Saturday night when I fell asleep.
This all changed at about 8 am Sunday morning. 1:30 hours into the 26.2 mile run I was just about at the 1/2 way point when I first felt what I had feared most, my knee pain was back. I had just spent about 4 miles on Highway 163, which has a very steep cant on the turns along with long rolling hills. These two things were what I had feared most. I need flat ground, I would have no problem running forever on flat ground. Endurance wasn't going to be what slowed me, it was going to be knee. So when it first began it was minor, I tried to put it out of my mind, "just keep going, it isn't that bad," I thought. After a few miles, there was no ignoring what I was feeling. I had dropped off the pace that Adam was setting, I figured, oh well, I'll ease off now and catch up later. Once I reached mile 14 it was impossible to think about anything else, I didn't hear my music, I didn't look at the crowd lining the streets, I watched the ground in front of me and prayed that the next time I looked up, that sign said mile 26. It didn't happen. At mile 18 I saw Chris standing right there on the sidewalk next to me.

Chris: "Are you okay?"
Me: "No"
Chris: "Do you want to stop?"
Me: "No"

And so I pressed on. There was no stopping at this point, I couldn't, I had passed the cutoff spot. It didn't matter if it took me forever, I could walk the rest of the way and finish.

Through Downtown, still together and feeling good


Adam Broken away from me and still moving well