Well June was just pure frustration for me. I couldn't run, I couldn't use the elliptical, I couldn't ride my bike outdoors and put heavy pressure on the pedals and my knee... so I could spin on my bike downstairs and do pool running. Not very interesting.
July came after good news of no torn meniscus and a (not so) simple inflammation of my IT Band in the right leg. I went into the month doing some simple running and built on that regularly though not always smartly while going for physical therapy. I had relapses with my knee pain when I went too far too fast. The final slap in the face was turning 45 at the end of the month... but I have vowed NOT to grow old gracefully as my most wonderful wife Jan so aptly put it last January on her birthday. I'll stay young if it kills me! ;-)
August has brought more progress, but more setbacks as well. I always feel like I am on the verge of a major setback, though it has not yet come. I have regular pains in my knees yet my speed workouts and hill workouts have been getting better. I have gotten a few 10-14 mile runs in but I regret never having gotten to a real 50-mile weekend test as I had planned last spring. I have learned that running with a full pack is so much more strenuous than just running.
I am also a bit angry that my knee problems have set me back so much. Had I not moved my run into September after my injury, I would have had people meeting me every night with new supplies and I wouldn't be trying to figure out how to carry 7 days of supplies on my back while running 145 miles. Had I not moved my run, I would have had friends running with me at least 2 days out of the 7 for some welcome companionship. Had I not moved my run I could have stayed in the Upper Goose Pond AMC Cabin which would have been sheer luxury mid way through my run but now they are closed on weekdays. Had I not moved my run, I would not be worried about torrential rains from hurricane remnants.
It could be worse though... I think of a co-worker Nick, who is fighting for his life after a last ditch bone marrow transplant. I also think of my Boy Scout Jack and his family who were recently devastated by the loss of his 8 year old sister in a crazy back yard accident while playing. And I think of my other friends and family who are fighting cancer, battling diabetes, dealing with psycho ex-husbands, recovering from surgery, and struggling with job losses. My challenge is temporary and self-willed, theirs are not. It's why I do this... to let my friends and family know that I am pulling for them, and honoring them in my own little way.
Though the money I have raised for LiveSTRONG and Habitat is much more conservative this year, I keep adding names to my shirt... which has always meant the most to me personally.
I am... Running for Other People's Lives!
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