24 December 2007
The wrath of the Marathon is still haunting me!
Posted by Charles Mockridge under: Charles Mockridge .
First of all, I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas (I know I am a couple hours early but I probably won’t talk to you tomorrow). Second of all, I would like to thank everyone with Run Gazelle! I could not believe the support and comradery that exists within the group of crazy, early morning runners. Before I became a Road Warrior, I would have laughed at the idea of running every Saturday morning at 8:00…that was my weekly “sleep ’till noon” day. But I finally made it out to Aquinas Field house last Saturday to run with the group; and it was a great time. I took it slow and stopped short of the full 12 mile route (I did roughly 8 miles in total) but I had someone to talk to the entire way. I was shocked to see that there were other crazy runners on the cold, wet roads of East Grand Rapids. I must have said “Good morning” to over 20 runners as they cruised on by. The weather was pretty nice, a little wet due to the melting snow, but I can’t complain. Since this was my first long run (over 4 miles) since the marathon in October, I was worried that my legs were going to give me some trouble. I was surprised to find that my body held up pretty well for the first 7 miles…mile 8 was a different story. I had done a pretty good job staying off my legs the month or so after the marathon to give them a rest. Every time I ran over a half mile or so, my left knee would begin to hurt…sharp, stabbing pains that felt like they were coming from the inside of my knee. These pains were non-existent for the first 7 miles last Saturday but came back with a vengeance in the 8th. However, I slowed down a bit and the pain faded, but I still pulled it in early not wanting to push it this early in my training. I can’t wait until I can get back to my old self and put in a solid distance without this nagging knee pain (which my doctor, so uninformationally, has diagnosed as “aggravated tissue”…what the heck does that mean?). I plan to try to get in a shorter run tomorrow (after I open presents!) at a faster pace…so hopefully I can enjoy a pain free jog on Christmas day through the back roads of beautiful Grand Ledge, MI. But then again, what is it that they always say? No pain, no gain?
7 Comments so far...
Deb Says:
26 December 2007 at 10:21 pm.
Hey Chaz, Hope the knee is feeling better. Mine always feels better after I ice it. Take care of yourself.
Deb
Paul Says:
29 December 2007 at 8:30 pm.
Chaz, quite impressed with the early dedication. I’m gonna have to start coming up with excuses now for when you blister me on the streets of GR. Way to go!
Liz Says:
30 December 2007 at 7:59 pm.
Any suggestions for good places to run in GR for longer, over 5 mile runs outside durring the winter. I have ran Reeds Lake many times so I am looking for something a little longer than that. Thanks
Shirl Kohl-Martin Says:
30 December 2007 at 8:41 pm.
Liz, A good place to run is on the bike path in the area of Cascade/Ada. There is 17 miles of path and they are usually cleared from snow. There are some really great hills along Buttrick Avenue and give elite runners a great challenge!
Good Luck to you and Happy New Year!
Shirl
Shirl Kohl-Martin Says:
30 December 2007 at 8:42 pm.
Chaz, Good luck with your knee tomorrow - and I hope it heals very soon!
Shirl
Shirl Kohl-Martin Says:
31 December 2007 at 10:03 pm.
Chaz….how did your MRI go today?
Shirl
Darrin Says:
2 January 2008 at 9:39 am.
It was good to run with you, but take care of that knee.