I'll be there, but I won't be running. Since I've been out of the world of blogging lately, I haven't had a chance to update the blog about my knee injury sustained in late August. I went out for a 12 mile run one Saturday and felt fatigued throughout the entire run. I also noticed my hamstrings seemd a little tight.
After only 6 miles, I was feeling so fatigued that I cut the run short, and around that time I noticed a little aching in my knee. "Nothing to worry about," I thought. "A little ice and ibuprofen will take care of everything."
Not so. The pain got worse, and for the next few days my knee hurt with nearly every step. I took two weeks off and then ran another short 6 mile run on a soft surface, and the same thing happened.
Given that I'd had knee problems five years ago, I decided it was wisest to bail on the marathon, which was fairly disappointing given that I'd come so far. My long runs were up to 16 miles, and I was beginning to consider a brisk 8-mile run "short."
I attribute the knee injury to less than ideal training leading to inflammation. I was working in the ICU at the time, and I'd been doing long runs on the weekends without doing as many short runs during the week since I was so busy. The key to successful training, however, is a gradual buildup in both long run mileage as well as total weekly mileage. Perhaps since I wasn't giving my joints the mild stress of short runs during the week, I didn't benefit from the strengthening they would have provided and therefore became injured when I attempted my longer runs.
In any case, my medical school friend Adam is now in Washington DC from Texas to run the marathon, so his wife Ashley and I will cheer him on! Most immediately, I have to pack after a night on call and make it to the Chinatown bus pickup spot in Midtown in the next 45 minutes!
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