Some Time to Breathe...and Heal.

This is one run.  It will not make or break your Boston Marathon run.  If you have a great run, if you have a bad run, it is one run. - Coach Rick Muhr, Marathon Coalition 

Well, I would say I had a great final long run in some aspects, and not-so-great in one aspect of training.  So, I tend to be sunshiny, positive person, so let's start with the positive:

The good:

• I have discovered that my longs runs during which I have felt the very best have been preceded with a homemade mac and cheese dinner.  This Friday, I added bacon...great choice!
• I added some oatmeal with almond milk to my breakfast (Thanks, Coach!), because I felt I wasn't eating enough before my long runs.  When your stomach is grumbling less than half-way through, that's a problem!
• Because of those points above, and the nutrition plan I'm following as I run, I felt like I had more than enough energy throughout the run, not just in the sense that I could keep plugging along, but also because my muscles felt fueled and were not tightening up or fatiguing.
• I am running with, by far, some of the best people in the face of the earth...see my one not-so-good point below.

The Bad:

• At about mile 8, my knee was feeling some pain.  Not the usual soreness I feel from natural overuse, but a sharper, tightening pain.  I kept focusing on form, trying to see if I could correct something and resolve it.  I got nervous when we stopped for water around mile 13 and I cried a little, but I kept going.
• At mile 18.5, I couldn't go any further.  I had to stop because my knee was almost not bending. As much as I encouraged Adam and Ashley to keep going, that Erin would find me and I'd be fine, they wouldn't go until they knew Erin was close by.  I felt awful, cramping their final long run, but they were awesome.  Adam and Kevin went on to finish in total awesomeness, and Ashley rode with me back to the church.
• Of course, I entered the training room in tears, both of pain and disappointment, and Coach Rick came right over.  He assessed what I was feeling, told me exactly what to do over the next few days, and most importantly, reassured me that I would undoubtedly finish the marathon in three weeks.  That is a moment I will never forget.  Never before have I met a person with such a natural ability to calm, reassure, and encourage.

So, yeah, I fell short of the 21 miles...but I still ran 18.5, and that's pretty great.  My job this week is to ice my knee, foam and ball roll specific spots, and keep impact low.  Most importantly, I have to do everything in my power to keep this event from creeping into my psyche and planting seeds of doubt.  I have to stay positive.  Luckily, that's something I'm pretty good at.