Yesterday was the Kaiser SF Half marathon that I told you all I was going to run. But due to several factors, I chose to drop out. But, everyone please give some major props to reader Catheroo because she did run the race and got her medal. Go girl!
I dropped out because of the following reasons:
I injured my right knee 6 years ago in a nasty running accident, and ever since then the knee hasn't been quite right. Back then, I did have a doc look at it, and I have been running ever since, but I have not done any long distance running. Back in December is when I started running over 6 miles, 4 days a week. My knee is okay until I start running over 8 miles. Below 8 miles all is kosher, above 8 is when the achies and weirdness start.
About 2 weeks ago after my last long run, 9 miles, the knee was just not a happy camper. There was no shooting pain or anything majorly wrong enough to see a doc, but there was definitely some stress. I decided to lay off the running for a few days because I tend to move toward the ultra conservative side when it comes to my knee. I want to still be running when I'm in my 60's, so I'd rather pull back and be overly safe now, then push it because I don't want to let down my blog readers. I've already learned the hard way, that it is not good to let your ego make decisions when it comes to pushing your body when it obviously wants to rest or slow down. Put ego in check cause it really is NOT worth it.
So, in lieu of doing the half marathon, I was going to run the 5K that was going concurrently. 3 miles is a piece of cake so, since I paid, I figured I should at least run that. BUT, then it started pouring rain on Saturday night, and then Sunday morning (the day of the race) there was rain too, but not as bad as the day before, but enough. The temperature was also below 50 degrees and admittedly, I just have a really hard time running in really cold weather. Those of you who can run in the snowy kinda cold, I truly admire you! The rain didn't help either, and whenever I am outside in the cold & wet, I get a bad cold, and I just did not want to get sick.
So, okay, there was some wimpishness involved in my decision, but even if it was a warm sunny day, I still would not have run the half marathon because of my knee. I would have done the 5K, most definitely. I am bummed that I couldn't run, but dropping out was the smart thing to do. There are always lots more races to come this year.
MORE magazine has a marathon/half marathon in April in New York, and I would love to run that one since I am now officially in the 40+ club. The only thing preventing me from running that race is money to get to NY. If I can come up with the moolah by then, I'm there!
For those of you who are training and gearing up for your upcoming races, keep up the good work, and train good but smart. Start learning the difference between pushing your body to get out of your comfort zones and pushing your body towards injury. Everyone is different, but this is where coughing up the dough to meet with a coach is truly worth it.
Listen to what your body is telling you. Rest and ice are your best friends. If you have doubt, go to a doctor, a trainer, or any medical professional. But really, put the ego in check. It's better to prevent injury then push it just to impress other people or prove some point. You can always make your point later on when you're in better condition.
