Ready or Not...

It's been over a month since I last posted here...again...but that doesn't mean that I haven't been running.  Actually, my return from the patellar tendonitis/tendonosis injury that I suffered back in late June has been going very well recently.  I was pretty skeptical that I would be able to run the fall races that I had signed up and paid for prior to getting hurt.  Having to take a total of 7 weeks off of running completely, then the super slow re-introduction of jogging had me convinced I would no way be ready to run any kind of road race by this fall.  But things have been going very well with the knee, and not only am I still going to run all of those pre-planned races, I have also added another half-marathon to the schedule!  Just call me crazy!

First off, the low down on how my training has been building up over the past 2 months.  Like I said it was EXTREMELY slow at first.  But as my tendon grew stronger and I kept the inflammation and irritation at bay I have been making some pretty impressive progress.  Here are my recent mileage stats in graph form:

This graph is broken down by weeks.  Week 25 is when I did the 4 mile run that jacked up my knee so badly in June.  Then a tortuous 7 weeks off, with one stupid attempt at running a mile before my knee was ready.  I only made it 0.8 miles that day and it caused quite a set back in healing...lesson learned!!  Week 32 I started on the treadmill at PT.  I cautiously added time in 5-10 minute increments during week 33.  Week 34 brought my first outside running since the incident, and since then I have been riding the fine line between advancing my mileage and fitness while respecting the threshold level my knee will allow.  I've stuck to my plan of mainly extending the long runs on the weekends, resting well before and after those runs, and running short easy runs in between if my knee is feeling ok.  Yesterday (week 39) I ran 16 miles for my long run.  This distance seemed so unattainable a month ago!  I am convinced this progression is only possible because of the Run/Walk style I have been doing.  I'm so glad I stumbled upon the Galloway method!  Taping with KT tape for support and icing after each and every run has surely helped with the healing and progression as well, but giving my knee a rest with walk breaks mixed in has been the most beneficial for continuing training without re-injury.  Unfortunately I have run out of training time.  The Chicago Marathon is 2 1/2 weeks out and I am now entering taper mode to get my legs, and patellar tendon, rested and ready for the big day.  Sixteen miles will have to do for my longest distance prior to the race this time, ready or not.

Debonaire Dash 5K 2012:

This past Saturday I kicked off my fall race schedule with the Debonaire Dash 5K that is part of the fall festival in my hometown.  I have run this race the past 2 years, and it was actually the first road race I ever ran (read here).  This year the event had a change in date and a change in it's course route.  The change in date put it up against another 5K event in a bordering town and therefore only about 30 runners/walkers registered to participate.  My goals going in were to run the entire time (if my knee would allow it) and to maintain a 9.5 min/mile pace...this of course was contingent on my knee feeling good as I wasn't going to sacrifice a healthy knee for this or any 5K.  I'm happy to report that my knee felt fabulous throughout the race and I was able to run the entire 3.1 miles uninterrupted.  Surprisingly I ended up with a time of 26:18 and a 8:20 min/mile pace.  This was 2 minutes slower than last year's time, but 2 minutes faster than the first time I ran it (see sidebar).  Overall I was happy with my time and how my knee handled the pace and miles.  I got a medal for 1st place in my age group...sure I was the only one in my age group (LOL), but the hardware was still nice.  It was the perfect event to kick off my fall schedule of races.      

Next on the agenda is the half-marathon that I added a few weeks ago.  I am registered to run the Roots N Blues Half Marathon in Columbia, MO this coming Saturday.  I wanted to try out my run/walk/run method in a race format before going in green with it in Chicago.  The Roots N Blues race worked out perfectly since my daughter is playing in a softball tournament near COMO that same Saturday, so we will be in that area, and two of my friends that I ran the Nashville half with in April are running in this one also so I'll get to see them there.  Being that Chicago is only 2 weeks after this half I have no goals going in other than to complete it healthy.  Time is of no concern to me, I merely want to test the Galloway method and keep myself injury-free.  I am a sucker for race medals though so getting the hardware at the end will be a super cool bonus!  Race recap on how the Roots N Blues went for me to follow next week : )