What I was dreading.....

Hi there....It has been awhile since I last updated in my training diary. Some of you that are close to me know why....


On August 18th the team was to run 16 miles. I had been having some IT Band issues as I am sure you all saw from my previous postings. I had gotten a deep tissue massage the Thursday before the BIG run. My leg felt great, I felt great...I was ready for this 16miles.



We started around 7:30am north of San Francisco, it was going to be a great day. The day was already starting to warm up and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! I was ready! Once Kael and I took off we looped up through the trail and ran on a dirt path (normally my body would be screaming, "Danger Elliott, Danger!"....but today I felt good) for about a mile and then we hit the road and off we went! Kael and I ran strong...that is until I started coughing really badly. I didn't want anyone to know this but, I had swallowed a bug! Just like that story when I was a kid..."Golly Gump!" I swallowed what I only hoped had been a fly! Anything else made me start to mentally freak out....I coughed for a long time and in all honesty didn't even admit having swallowed the bug to Kael until mile 5! I didn't want to tell him b/c I knew he was going to laugh at me and I didn't want to break out stride up the hill! Wasn't that nice of me???? I think so! Okay fine...I was really disgusted that I had eaten a bug! LOL



After climbing this long hill, and having gotten my morning protein with the bug incident, we got to flat land...and yes, Kael and I were still running strong! About mile 5.5 is when my leg from knee to butt started to hurt, but I thought to myself, "Self...you will be fine...just keep going." Maybe not the smartest thing, but I did....we rounded the corner to the water stop, grabbed some lovely beverages and then I couldn't put weight on my leg. Yes that is right...I think I had physically hit a wall at that point. But being as driven (nice wording right?) as I am or stubborn...whatever you want to call it, I kept going. I walked it off for awhile b/c the pain was so bad in my knee at this point that I could barely put weight on it. I remember crying and thinking that maybe I should stop....but the thought of why I was doing this race pushed me on.



At one point....all the miles sort of blended into each other after that first water stop.....Kael got stung by a bee...so we laughed for at least a good mile off and on about how I ate a bug and how a bug had eaten Kael. Okay not so funny now, but let me tell you...when you are in pain and trying to get your mind off of it, ANYTHING is funny! :)



As we circled back to where we had started I really thought I was going to have to be sagged in. One of my coaches stopped to make sure I was okay, my mentor stopped and walked with me for awhile and of course Kael was with me. Then at one point I just mentally decided that I wasn't going to hurt anymore and I started running. The first few steps were painful and I felt as if my ligament was twisting (I know.....I should have stopped!)...but I continued on and then I wasn't in pain in anymore. We hit mile 10 pretty easy enough, excluding my pain of course. And we circled back out to do the other 6 miles. I should have stopped at mile 10...but like I mentioned previous. I am a DRIVEN person....so I continued on.



I walked a lot of the last part of that days training. And in all honesty I don't remember much, except for when the pain set in again. And trust me I have done enough sports that I know the difference from a good pain and a bad pain. This wasn't a good pain. But I had to get back to the finish line so I had to continue on.



After we finished, I felt great! My knee was sore and so was my leg...but I felt great. I stretched for a good 30 minutes, ate some and then Kael and I jumped in the car to get back to SF.



When I got out of the car I could barely walk with out saying "Ouchie" every time. We got sandwiches to eat and drank a beer to congratulate ourselves and even laughed about me having eaten the bug...all the while I was worried about my knee.



After getting home, I took an ice bath...yes you read the right....I sat in a bath tub with ice to help out my lower body! Heck people, I had just run 16 miles! I think that was the ONLY thing that saved my knee that night. I rested for a good portion of the day and then that evening my sister came to town. We were going to see Avenue Q, a musical...hilarious by the way...the next day. That night my knee was uncomfortable but bearable.



Sunday morning I woke up to not being able to bare weight on that leg and my knee was swollen. The swelling only got worse as the days went by. My worst nightmare had come true....I had messed up my knee.