"The show must go onnnnnnnnn......"

I just downloaded Pink Floyd's "Is there anybody out there" album. It's the concert version of the The Wall. I also added their "Dark side of the moon" album for good measure. I don't need any drugs to love these albums and especially The Wall. My IPOD is loaded and ready for action. The question is, am I ready for action? The answer, I have no idea but I got 36 hours of time on the trail to figure it out. Between the concert blaring in ear, me pondering the meaning of life and whether or not this race was a good idea I should have it all figured out when it's over.

We left Utah on Saturday and went to Yellowstone for 3 days. With high hopes of seeing a grizzly bear I didn't really work out at all. Bill and I did one 45 minute run around Old Faithful and as a family we hiked and walked a lot. I did all my mini squats and VMO contractions while standing around looking a geysers or sitting in the car. My knee got better and better each day requiring less and less attention. This was a welcomed distraction from the rehab and might just be what the doctor ordered. Given that we were in the car for a number of hours I got to express my lack of confidence in lining up for Teton's. For me I would rather not start if I am not in to finish. I know how my mind operates and if I give myself an out I will take it in the dark moments of a 100M. After 17 100M races I have only bailed once and I didn't like the after effects. During that race my ego and time goals got in the way of a finish and though it was a great learning experience I don't want to repeat it. As I was wallowing in my insecurity, talking about how even if my knee is good to go do I have the fitness to finish it. The circumference of my left quad is 1.25 inches smaller than 4 weeks ago and my right is over .5 inches smaller. I just couldn't resist measuring them because they look so small....where are those jeans I have been dying to fit into to! Anyway, I don't FEEL like I am in good shape but I really have no idea what kind of shape I am in except I am rested! As I babbled on about my lack on mental confidence Alex just couldn't take it anymore and gave me a pep talk or more like a small lecture....funny I heard my own words coming out of his mouth. It is sort of cool in a way....my 12 year old has more confidence I will finish than I. But, it's also sort of sad that I so quickly lost my confidence and mental toughness...such a fleeting mist.....:). For that reason I am writing this entry because I need to be held accountable to finish this race. I can't let my ego, pride, pain, sadness, anger or anything get in the way of a FINISH! They give us 36 hours to tackle this course and that is plenty of time...I can limp if need to but I won't. I refuse to let my son see me give in or quite because I can't reach a time goal or I get bored with walking.

Almost every other day I have gotten a text message from Kris saying something meaningful about me and what I can do and have done in all aspects of my life. Stacey (my pacer for this race) has emailed, called and questioned my plan. Trisha and Susan have been checking in on me regularly hoping for the best. Micheal and his family supported my rehab and said nothing but good stuff for the whole week they visited. Beast is here on his 70th birthday tackling the 50M race and dragging my family up another mountain. Tom and Annie are coming to hang out with us and watch us run the race annnnnd.....he told me not to leg an egg. :) Soooo, besides the fact that my family expects me to finish my friends also expect me to finish. I am sucker for expectations so that gives me another reason to see it through.

Now that I have convinced myself I MUST FINISH and I know all of you who read this will hold me accountable to my words here.....I HAVE to finish. Today I ran 45 minutes and it was almost completely normal. A couple of 30 minute runs left and it's show time! BTW - The air is thin up here but it is beautiful!

Rehab is a full time job!

That pretty much says it all. It truly takes a lot of time to do all the exercises, icing and such but it works. My knee has made significant improvement with the physical therapy. When I first got here I couldn't even walk the downhill of downtown Park City. Getting around and in and out of a car took thought and just the right approach. It was super frustrating to have been slapped silly so quickly. This injury really took me down much more than I could have imagined. It came on so quickly and with such vengeance it actually had me worried I may have done something more permanent. Thinking back on the whole thing from the beginning I believe it started with the fall I took on the 3 corner rock run. Even though the fall was nothing the tork on my leg was fierce and stretched my quad pretty good at the insertions above my knee. The force on my leg was healing up well but WR50M just drove it home leaving me limping and truly out of commission. I think this was a pretty good lesson.

In the big scheme of life of course this is nothing but when something begins to impact your everyday life it becomes something. My leg has been so sore from all the exercises but I am back to running/jogging trails.....yipppeeee. Here is a breakdown on my progress.

Monday - Saw a physical therapist, got a diagnosis, exercises and some ultra sound. - Workout was speed strides on the elliptical. Knee was super sore and I was not putting much weight on it.

Tuesday - Warm up on elliptical for 30 minutes then hit the treadmill at 6% incline to run - was halted by pain and forced back on the elliptical for the remaining hour. The exercises were challenging as my knee was super swollen and sore - iced like a freak.

Wednesday - More physical therapy and they progressed to harder exercises and dug out my IT band even though it didn't seem to present a problem. They ultra sounded and put some anti-inflammatory rub stuff on it. My workout was hill repeats so I chose the road to silver lake which is 3.5 miles and about 2000 feet. Bill picked me up at the top and I was supposed to repeat but the pain was just too much so I called it good with one trip. I was super frustrated as the pain seemed to be worse but the swelling less.

Thursday - Big turning point my kneecap was in the right spot- Woke up with barely any swelling or pain and.........when I looked down my kneecap appeared to have moved back where it belonged! It was an off day and we walked around including downtown and I was able to pretty much walk normal without pain. Some buckling but no sharp zingers. I did all my exercises and iced.

Friday - A planned run up Mt. Timpanogas on the steep side and down the less steep side. Now steep is relative since this climb is 4,500+ feet in 7 miles to 11,500. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth as far as I am concerned. Deborah was aware I might not be able to push or run the down and was fine with that. The hike up wasn't without pain, a few mild zingers and the leg motion was weird as if it didn't want to function. As the hike continued it began to feel more normal but I could see some swelling coming on. The down was a total walk for me. I trotted occasionally but it wasn't going to work. I was happy to have done the 15 miles with only mild pain.

Saturday - HELLO MAGIC TAPE!! Back to the physical therapist who was blown away on how good my knee looked especially after the Timp workout. I too was pumped to still have my kneecap properly seated and have NO after effects from Timp. Today was the introduction of the magic tape! After physical therapy I took the Spiro trail up (about 1,700 feet) to the mid mountain trail and ran/walked that to Silver Lake where Bill picked me up. It is a little over 10 miles. The run was good for about 5 miles and 3+ was straight up. The rollers were painful but the tape did help my mind make the muscles fire. My muscles were quivering afterwards as if in shock. :)

Sunday - Still wearing the magic tape (it stays on for 4 days) Micheal, Bill and I headed out for the same run I did on Saturday. It was harder. My legs were tired and my knee ached but the motion of running was much more normal......a lot less limping and favoring.

After three days of good movement my leg was sore and fatigued but not worse and every day I woke up it was better. Sort of like 3 steps forward 1 step back. I was just so happy to have made so much progress in such a little amount of time. Mostly I happy to NOT be in pain when I walked around doing normal stuff.

Monday - Back to the physical therapist who did all her stuff, re-taped me and said, "It's time to test it, give it a go on the downhills, work through the discomfort and let's just see how it responds". So..,,,,,,,,

Tuesday - BACK TO TIMP! We took the whole family and Micheal, Deborah and I headed up for speed and a run down while they hiked. It was beautiful as usual but the biggest wonder was the mountain goats. We were early on the trail and saw the whole herd. It was something else and very special. GOOD LUCK! That's how I chose to see it. My knee was better and I only had mild pain. I braced it up for the downhill and was able to run about 80% of it. It's a super rock trail and I was slow but it was running. I had a couple of mild zingers and my knee was a bit pissed but I came out no worse for wear. We hiked back up to meet our families who were on their way down. It ended up being a 7000+ day for us but the most amazing thing was our families. They hiked 15 miles to the top of a mountain on rough terrain with no air. Micheals wife Lisa and his daughter Kerry who is 8 plus Bill and Alex who is 12 really kicked butt and persevered on a long 10+ hour day. It was pretty amazing to see the kids remain positive and enjoying the sights.

Wednesday - Physical therapy again and just one more left before I am on my own. My knee is still good, not much better but not worse. No pain with everyday life stuff and not pissed from yesterday. Due to that I made my decision to go for it at Teton's.

I figure I can make it through the race and not cause myself to take to many steps backwards. It won't be a great performance and I may need to take walk breaks on the downhill to preserve myself. I might even need to dull the pain with Advil but I have enough time to finish. I might even make more progress with my knee by race day. All I can say is the exercises and advice I was given was spot on and worked. It's not easy and not very exciting and honestly quite boring for an adrenaline junkie but it works.

Even though it seems like all I have been doing is obsessing about my knee I haven't. I was actually NOT obsessing rather just doing what I needed and still having a good time. We have been swimming, biking, zip line riding, visiting farmers markets and enjoying vacation with friends. Today we were at a farmers market and there was a girl with a big sign that read, "I Can Fix You". Of course I was drawn right over and signed up for fixing. It was obvious what my problem was with the lovely blue tape all over my leg. If you can't be an olympian you might as well dress like one...... ha, ha, ha. She did reflexology and while I am not sure I can buy into all they claim I went with it, why not???....I have blue tape all over my leg so it's clear I am open to pretty much anything at this point. All in all this has been interesting, challenging and a good learning lesson.

Patellar Femoral Syndrome

I have gotten a professional diagnosis! Pam (aka McKenzie) was right on with her comment, thanks. Last Thursday I had my call with coach (Scott) and told him the dramatic version of my failing knee. He hesitated little before he called it PFS. The good news is this will heal and even more good news is it most likely will turn itself around before Teton's. PFS is a common knee ailment among runners and bikers. I know mine is a result of biking on TOP of my training for Teton's. I also believe running for many hours on bad blisters just drove it home.

The plan: Extremely aggressive VMO stimulation! That means diligent exercises and some as many times a day as I can handle it.

1. Sitting with my back against a wall with my legs straight out in front, place a small ball between the legs in the middle of the quad, squeeze abductors then contract quads...tapping the VMO to make sure it knows you mean IT! This is to be done all day long and even while walking and standing I am supposed to think about contracting this muscle.
2. Pulley attached mini squat for eccentric loading. A strap around the leg just below the knee while the other end of the strap or cable is attached to the a post or if it's a cable it's attached to a weight stack. Step back to create tension then squat focusing on the eccentric phase of the load...when you straighten the leg but do not hyper extend the knee. Do this 3X20-30-40 or whatever I can do.
3. Run at a 5-7% incline on the treadmill. Start very slow, think small steps, knee lift, quick paw-back, do this until I get a zinger in the knee then finish the workout on the elliptical machine.
4. A bunch of exercises for the glute medius to prevent deterioration and to help keep the knee driving forward not diving inward.
5. Ice like a freak.

That is the plan and of course I hit it hard. When I started this on Thursday my VMO would barely respond. It looked atrophied and very week. My run lasted 1 mile on the incline before I got a zinger. Apparently the sharp pain I experience is due to the lack of muscle contraction and the kneecap jams over into a bad spot. By Saturday morning things were looking better; I barely had any swelling or pain while walking. This was so cool and I was able to run 1.5 miles. My VMO was quivering during the rehab. which is good news because at least it's waking up.....hello!

Saturday night I arrived in Utah late and had already planned to meet a few people on the Wasatch course. They needed aid and I would join them to the finish of their run which meant I would run 15 miles. The long drive to the meeting point was a quiet one as I debated whether to give it a go or not. When we arrived I gave the knee a test spin and it was definitely better but not great. I spent another 45 minutes debating with myself and Bill. I cried, I paced, I relaxed, I fought the urge, I gave in to the urge....it was exhausting emotionally over a simple run which is sort of pathetic. Logically I knew it would be best to skip the rugged hilly run and continue my rehab but part of me wanted to test it, push it, get over the fear of using it but in the end logic won. Deborah completely understood and encouraged me to NOT run.

This morning I had an appointment with a physical therapist. Scott recommended I see one to be sure I am doing all the exercises right and maybe add some hands on feedback. Bill found me a great one here in Park City. This is a good place to be with a knee injury because of all the skiing, knees are a speciality. I was excited to get someone to poke and prod at my knee and make sure I was doing all I can to heal it quick.

Before my appointment I headed down to the gym for my routine and workout. I got all set up and was able to run 3 miles!!!! Big day for me. :) I probably could have run further but felt very mild pain so I jumped.....I mean dismounted slowly and got on the elliptical for the rest of my workout. I got me heart rate pumped today for over 1 hour. I spent another hour doing weights and the rehab. stuff then it was off the see the doc.

The PT poked, prodded, slid, pushed, thumped and jostled my knee cap and all surrounding areas. She smiled and said, "Your going to be fine"! She said my three days of rehab. was spot on and my knee is almost mended. She put me through a battery of tests, workouts, ultra sound, stretches and ice. She recommended I come back Wed. and Fri. but by then I should be good to go. She said some of the same things Scott said, like;

1. Doing nothing is the worst thing you can do.
2. AGGRESSIVE VMO stimulation is way to rid yourself of this and resume training.
3. You will be fine for your race.

I am still not banking on Teton's but I am optimistic. When I can run anything on trail, up and down I will feel better. I think that day is nearing. Until then I am getting my cardio and tempo stuff done in a creative fashion. I am running/walking uphill (3.5 miles) at AT then having Bill drive me back down and then repeating. I am on the elliptical doing strides. I think I can stay in shape but without the long descents I feel nervous that my legs will not hold. Maybe all this strength training will be good stuff. One thing is for sure.....my VMO will be strong. :)

The longest taper or......

no race at all! My knee is not doing very well. I guess my adaption theory is out the window on this one. I was able to get through WR50M and it really wasn't at the forefront during the race. When I got home I was sidelined for 4 days by those nasty blisters which you would think would be good news for my knee. When I started back running it was like someone was stabbing me in the knee on the inner portion of my patella tendon. Along with the pain came a lack of mobility. My leg simply would not run. It's almost like the area between the quads and calf are not working together and the knee is just left dangling. I limped for a good 7 miles then called it good. My knee cap is riding high and the tracking process is hampered. I guess that's the cause of the sudden sharp pain....when the kneecap tracking gets out of alignment. Here's what I have been doing:

1. Massage - My quads are hammered at the insertion to my knee, especially the medial.
2. Deep tissue release - From Dr. Tollenaar which helps a lot in getting the kneecap back in it's spot.
3. Icing like a freak! 20 minutes on and 2 hours off. The knee is just not that swollen but is a bit.
4. VMO stimulation: Sitting with my back against a wall, legs straight out in front, aggressive flex of the quads, hold for 5 seconds, off for 10 seconds, repeat 10 times twice a day.
5. Rubbing some magic ointment on it waiting for the majic to HAPPEN!!
6. Pouting but hiding it well....at least I think so.

So..........Is my race in jeopardy??? Most definitely! If I can run at all I will go and do it, most likely slow but I am on board. As it stands today, I can't run. The pain is not an ache that Advil will mute. It's has more to do with the lack of function once it gets zinged...the mobility of my leg is very compromised. I am open to suggestions folks! I am bummed and sad about the race but am not giving up yet. I am not one of those people who can turn a frown upside down so I am not even going to try and fake myself out....it won't work. Let's say I heal up or get over my unknown problem and can run the race. It will be the longest taper EVER! What happens to someone who goes to run a 100 miles when the last long run they have done was a month prior? Well, I guess I will get a new experience if that it the case. We are leaving for vacation in UTAH on Saturday and will be gone through the race so I will be there no matter what....running or helping my friends run it. I have a long run planned on Sunday with some folks from Utah and that will be the final test before I decide.

What will I do if I can't run???? Well, I have a plan B. It doesn't involve my bike because that is not helping my knee right now and I can't really do any biking unless it's on a flat surface that requires no straining. I'll fill you in on Plan B if I need to go there but I will stay focused on the task at hand.

What are barrier glasses?

I have gotten a few emails asking about barrier glasses so I thought I would explain what they are and why I need to wear them. In 02 when I ran my 3rd 100M race at CCC100M at about mile 70 my vision started to get super foggy. It was dark so I thought it was something under my contacts. I pulled out the contact, cleaned it and found nothing. I popped it back in my eye and there was no difference. As the race continued and the sun came up it got worse and worse. By the end of the event I couldn't make out anything which made finishing the race long and annoying. All I saw was a white blur. I was super scared but within about 6 hours after the race and some rest I was fine. I went to my eye doctor immediately on Monday and he checked everything out, listened to my story and decided it was a reaction to Flonaise (allergy medication) or dehydration. The next 100M I ran was WS100M the following year. I wore my glasses to run the race instead of contacts. By mile 55 I was having problems again. I knew what was coming and tried to drink lots, put eye drops in my eyes to no avail. By the last 10 miles I was completely blind. I couldn't make out my hand in front of my face. When the sun came up Stacey looked at my eyes and freaked! They were totally white and looked like a dog who has cataracts. I was actually a little scared myself. Stacey summoned Bill who was at Robie Point. He came down and had a fit. I had to put my hand on their back to guide me to the finish, very sad and very pathetic. The best thing that happened was having such a disaster at WS100M because the medical professionals have seen it all and they just happened to have an eye doctor there. They took one look at my eyes, had another doctor come over and they said I had Corneal Abrasions all over my eye. They also eased my mind by telling me the Cornea is the fastest healing tissue in the body and that is why my doctor did not know the real problem. After about 7 hours of sleeping my eyes normal. What to do??? Rachel Landon who is an ultra runner and an opthamologist who lives here in Portland recommended I see a Cornea Specialist at the Casey Eye Institute. I was all over that because my days of running more than about 6 hours was not looking good.

I saw Dr. Rich and he listened to my story and looked at my Corneas. He said my Corneas was super healthy which was relieving. What he found interesting and odd is I don't close my eyes all the way when I blink or sleep. My eyeball is too big for my eye lid. He thought this was part of the problem and any wind, dust or any other irritant was not being cleared. My eyes produced enough fluid but without a full blink a line was left to dry out. The remedy was to have a small surgical procedure to pin my eye at the corner but he wasn't sure that would stop the abrasions. He also said small abrasions are normal, we get them all the time without knowing but the extent in which I was getting them was not normal. He described it as having a windshield that is completely scratched up and that is exactly what it's like. He suggested goggles but sent me down to the eye glasses guy at the Casey Institute who makes a barrier frame. I went down and here they are! They are ugly but they work! I have never had a problem since. The barrier is cut for my eye and face so they fit perfectly and create a lovely environment for my giant eyeball. The following year at WS100M they asked me to show them my barriers because apparently MANY runners are getting very mild versions and think it's dehydration or something else. It goes away sooooooo fast when you rest. For me any race that has a large amount of dust and dry air spells disaster so I need to wear them for anything over 50K. So, why didn't I wear them at WR50M because I was not thinking clearly which left not seeing clearing! :)

WR50M!

WR50M is as always a wonderful event with a kick butt course. This year we had perfect weather and temperatures in the low 70's. The skies were clear in the morning which meant we got an awesome view of Mt. Rainier on our way to Corral Pass. I have run this race 3 times before and my best time was in 06 when I ran a 10:20. I have never put WR50M on my list of "A" efforts mostly due to other events like WS100M and this year Tetons 100M. Some day it would be fun to train hard, taper and run WR with the intention to push the limits of my fitness.

With my bummed out knee I was going to be happy with a solid training day in the mountains and no further damage. I had my new orthodics now lacking the pesky metatarsal pad but my feet were still healing from the blisters. In the morning I taped my right foot because the blister was open and any direct friction was irritating. I didn't bother to tape my left foot. When we signed in Stacey and I were handed these yellow tags to pin to our backsides. They were age group identifiers for the USATF championships. When we asked what these were for the guys said, "Anyone who is USATF certified must wear it so others know who they are competing against". Apparently it's broken up in the 5 year age groups so mine read, "F-40-44". I wasn't going to wear mine but since it was a rule I figured I should comply. It was a little weird to have my age plastered on my behind! Stacey and I immediately began making a joke about it, calling it a dear tail and laughing our heads off. When we arrived at the starting line we didn't see many dear tails and began inquiring. We found out that only the over 40 crowd that were USATF certified had to wear them. That was even more funny because all the 40+ year old woman were up front so it was just us in the back with our yellow tags. Oh well, more laughs!

I decided not wear my barrier glasses. I figured I would run without them but I put them in my suntop drop bag at mile 37 just in case I started having issues. The field was really fast this year and before I knew it I was in a good train of runners making our way to corral pass at mile 16.9. I felt so strong. It was nice to have so much power but I didn't push the effort knowing there was a big race ahead. As we made our way to the top the leaders were coming down, flying and looking so incredibly fearless. I found that super motivating, like having a front row seat at some big event. The power and speed those folks have it just amazing. As I crested the hill heading towards the aid station I could feel my old blisters, mating and creating babies. I wasn't prepared for any type of blister problems so I decided the best thing I could do is find some Vaseline and smother my feet with it. I felt this (amazing photo by Glen Tachiyama) would stop some of the friction but whatever damage I had already done I would have to live with. At the aid station I peeled back my sock to find a cluster of small blisters. I caked on Vaseline and headed off for the first major descent of the day. My feet were pissed! The blisters hurt but the Vaseline did help some. I could also tell my eyes were becoming foggy and I should have worn my barrier glasses. I decided to pull out my sunglasses to stop the wind from hitting my eyes and making it worse. I knew I would be needing my barriers which were in my drop bag at mile 37. Now that I have created a decent amount of drama with blisters and foggy vision it was time to torture my knee. I began the downhill and it took a bit for me to find my groove and confidence as my mind battled with the thought of coming down on my knee. The worst thing I could do is brake for 7+ miles so I found my rhythm and only had a few ooh and ahhs. I stop and pull out my cho-pat strap and wrap it tight. That helped. I am in a state of pure laughter at my self imposed drama. I made my way to buck creek (mile 27.2) and retrieve my drop bag. I grab one hand held, stuff gels in my pocket and leave. I had thoughts of calling it a day thinking why suffer anymore. My feet were pretty blistered, my eyes were foggy and my knee was okay but not great. The reasons I kept going is because I was soooooo strong physically and was really enjoying the feeling of strength. I am also not a quitter and I didn't want to give in to my self imposed drama. I should have taped my feet better, I should have wore my barrier glasses and I should have treated my knee better. All the "should haves" somehow made me feel like I needed to see it through. Call it self suffering, masochistic or whatever you want but for me it was a duty. I almost needed to suffer the consequences of some poor decisions. I certainly won't be repeating them again soon. Maybe I figured I would get it all out of the way before Teton's.

As I made my way to fawn ridge and started the second monster climb I was steady and settled. The climbing was less daunting on my feet and my knee and I could run more than 70% of it. That alone was worth all the pain. Without much effort I could trot up the hill if I wanted. My fueling was awesome and spot on. I even tried the new GU product called Roctane. I felt nothing new but it didn't bother me either. I had forgotten all about the yellow tag hanging from my butt until I passed a guy with one. When I reached Fawn Ridge I stopped to apply another coating of Vaseline only to find my sock full of blood and other yuk. I smother the slimy stuff over the open wounds and it wasn't pleasant. I think the worst part was putting my dirty nasty sock back on the exploded flesh wound. It hurt like crazy too.....good thing is it made my foggy vision and bum knee seem like nothing! Off I go for the last bit of this climb to Suntop. Good thing we are still climbing because I was having a hard time making out the details of the trail and my blisters had time to create an environment of their own. I was anxious to reach Suntop (mile 37) to pop out my contacts, stash my sunglasses and get my barriers on. I was hoping my eyes would have a chance to come around before I had to do the last 6 miles of technical trail. I crested the hill and pop into the aid station where they hand me my drop bag. I got myself prepped for the last 12 miles.

This screaming fast dirt road heading into Skookum flats is awesome if you have legs. Legs I had but eyes I did not. Thank God it's mostly smooth. My feet were an absolute mess and the down hill was brutal on them. I shortened up my stride and got my turnover going nicely. I only sunk in a pothole once or twice (photo by Glen Tachiyama)because I couldn't make out the details on the road but all in all it was good descent in just over 8 minute miles. When I arrived at the last aid station I had a little better vision in left eye but my right was still super foggy. I was in "get it done" mode. I didn't even care that I was track for a PR because I could only muster up enough umph to deal with the pain in feet. The bummer is I felt really strong but none of that matters if you can't see and your feet are hamburger. As I made my way through the rooted trail I found a few new words as I grimmest in pain when my foot would slide over a root. The roots were everywhere. I tried to give myself a talk, "Just take the pain, don't fight it". I think I must have said that 50 times! It really didn't help me move faster but it was something to do I guess.

I finally found the finish line in 9:59:42 which is over a 20 min. PR on this course. The run was bitter sweet. The effort was easy but the day was a series of bad choices and all of those choices were made before we even started. I became a lazy ultra runner and took the trail and my body for granted. My eyes were a mess and that could have totally been prevented. My feet should have been taped because they still healing up. My knee didn't seem to be to bad and it's no worse off but that could have been prevented by stretching. As sick as it might sound I enjoyed the learning and reminders the day brought. It's going to take along time before I forget it because it's going to be at least a week for these blisters to stop oozing. :) This is a recovery week and that's good because I can't even tape up my feet to run yet. I hope I can get them moving around by Wednesday?????

I am going!

I went for test drive today. I ran 9 miles on trail with some hills and though it wasn't perfect I was able to do it. My knee has rose to the surface and is no longer under water, yeah! I saw Dr. Tollenaar (kick butt ultrarunner and tri-athlete who just happens to be a chiropractor about 2 miles from my house) today and he confirmed what others have suggested. The mountain biking has been putting a lot of addition stress on my quads especially with no clips. He said I am only using my quads and not other muscles like my hamstrings and glutes to power the bike. With clips I would be able to call on those muscles and not just my quads. This had left my medial and lateral quads all balled up near the attachment to my knee which forced my patella to ride high. He was able to release those quads and get the patella tracking as it should but man oh man that wasn't fun. Although I am repaired or adapted, ha, ha, I am still not perfect.

Soooo, WR50M won't be pretty but it will be pretty. :) I won't have a great performance and will hopefully finish before 10:30-10:45 but I will get to see lovely Mt. Rainier and all the flowers. I might need to take some walk breaks on the screaming 20 miles of downhills to preserve myself, we'll see. Dr. T believes I won't cause any major problems but might develop a bad habit or two but I can cure those quickly. I am looking forward to a fun weekend! Just maybe by the time I am finished with the race my knee will have fully adapted....... :)