- Monday: 5 miles. Ran to the original cast recording of “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” of course.
- Tuesday: 7 miles. Tiny loops in my neighborhood. Also did the first training mission of the Zombies, Run! Spring Virtual Race, the Train to Oban!
- Wednesday: 10 miles.
- Thursday: Rest day.
- Friday: Rest day.
- Saturday: Rest day.
- Sunday: 6 miles. Easter Sunday, so I got some running in before hosting the family for dinner. Notes below.
- Core/strength: None this week, back at it next week.
Slowly ramping back up during the week was good, but my knee was still shot. But let’s take this story all the way back to middle school, when I was in physical therapy for chondromalacia patella. Basically, the knee cap in my left leg used to go sideways instead of up and down. Well, it seems that my right knee decided to get in the action as well, after all these years!
So while I probably did have (and continue) to have some IT band issues, I also needed to include specific stretches for my kneecap. So I dusted those off after my run on Sunday on a whim, and felt about 80% better within half an hour.
As I write this today, I’m walking without pain in my knee, and honestly, for the first time, feel really confident about the marathon again. I have two 20-milers and one 22 miler under my belt already, and while yes, I did miss my 24, I’m not going to do that the week before the marathon to make it up.
My goal right now is to nail both the marathon and my 50K training run, then I can glide into Eagle Up confident and ready to go. It’s been a huge roller coaster of emotion, and I’m sure it’s not done, my knees may still act up, who knows, but for now, I’m excited again and raring to go.
I think, so much of me is just ready to get back to long hours alone with my thoughts, running and processing. I look forward to that time, and I’m excited to get back to it. Part of me, even while knowing it was wrong, was stuck in a loop thinking these weeks of training had been for nothing. I’ve made big gains this cycle, and while I hope they pay off in a new marathon PR, even if they don’t, I can still look back and see how far I’ve come.
Race reports owed: Jackpot.
