Knee Surgery Journal - 38 days Post-Surgery

For every year from 2007-2023, I ran over 2,000 miles a year. Barely one year (2006 miles in 2011) and well over in 2019 and 2020 (3033 and 3044) with just missing 3,000 in 2022 (2944). I have known more than a few people to do 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 a year (often with varying degrees of it actually providing good race results) but 2,000 was enough for me.

Since October 31, 2023 when I originally tore the meniscus in my knee, I have run 488.55 miles. It's been 502 days since then. In other words, I have averaged .97 of a mile run per day. For the five previous years, including the year I originally hurt my knee, I averaged 7.63 miles run per day (whether I ran or not.)

So, since I hurt my knee, using rough calorie burning calculator numbers, I have NOT burned 420,174 calories that I normally would have burnt during the past 502 days. Or, I have somehow had to find a way to burn 120 more pounds off during that time. I was not always successful.

My positive spin is that my right knee (the uninjured one) has had ~3,328 miles LESS run on it during this time. So I have that going for me.

My most recent PT trip had me getting my knee to 124 degrees bent with -5 degrees straight (meaning I went 5 degrees PAST straight). I haven't weighed myself in a couple of weeks because I honestly don't feel like I have lost any and I want to wait a bit more so I don't get disgruntled. I would like to be gruntled. 

I have a follow up with the doctor this week and I think I will be able to get back in the pool. I was cleared by PT to start doing some weight lifting with my knee. I have a friend who is a few weeks prior to me in this same surgery and he is walking three miles or so a day. I don't want to walk. I want to run. So I am just working on strength and straightening and everything I can to do just that.

I feel the progress is good. I am aching to race. I have King of the Hills I want to claim and counties I want to visit and Strava segments I want to set the CR on and FKT to claim and first places to earn and so much more. There is so much of this world I want to see under my feet. So many activities to accomplish. So much to do.

I just want to run. 

Knee Surgery Journal - 28 Days Post-Surgery

Four weeks ago yesterday I underwent my second knee surgery in the past year. I'm happy to report that it seems like this one is going to have not only a much faster recovery but a successful one as well. In my physical therapy today I was able to get my knee to 122° flexion even if it hurt a little bit to do so. There are times I actually find myself walking with zero limp whatsoever. I am definitely far from recovered as any trip down the stairs will show me but even as I feel like I'm tearing through the last remaining fibers of scar tissue when the knee gets bent, it's more discomfort than pain.

Weight: 210.4

I am a little bummed that my weight has pretty much stayed stagnant the past two weeks but that's mostly because as I am more ambulatory I am more apt to grab a little snack here and there. I need to continue to curtail that so that I can below 200 lbs in the next 2 weeks. I have that goal because that is when I've been told that I can be gone swimming again and it sure would be able nice to cut through the water and continue to burn calories in that manner until I can do outdoor or heck, indoor, running again.
 

Mainly I'm doing everything I can to continue to stay positive not try to think about the year and a half that I have lost because of this knee injury. I've always been very grateful for my ability to do what I have done for the last 18 months have really driven that point home. I'm extremely pleased with how the scar is healing period it is almost, I wouldn't say unrecognizable, but definitely on the way there!
 

I do hope that this journal is helping other people if they have to make a similar decision with their own knee or with any other surgery or speed bump they have in their life. The world is a scary and depressing place right now because of the horrible people we have running the United States government. If that last sentence turns you off , you obviously don't know anything about me but I welcome the fact that you found this journal. I find myself needing running more than ever just to stay sane and take me away from the ridiculousness of trump and his supporters.

I'm keeping my chin up and I hope you are doing the same. Thanks again for reading. If you have any questions or want any advice because you are feeling something similar, please drop me a line!

Knee Surgery Journal - 21 Days Post Surgery

Today marks exactly one year since my last run outside in Minneapolis. When I was in Peru on Thanksgiving I did three runs outside and was feeling rather elated.  It was the first time in eight months I had run for more than a minute or so. Then when I came home, I did three treadmill runs in early
December as was prescribed to see if I was still improving.. The latter is where I knew that my previous meniscus surgery repair did not work. It was clear that it wasn't a muscle imbalance issue and wasn't that I hadn't done my therapy correctly. 

It is also amazing what perspective does for someone. I am now three weeks out from my last partial knee replacement surgery. It feels as if no time has passed at all. Before my surgery last year, the longest I had ever gone without running was 14 days.  Now being told that three months from the surgery I should be running again feels like it will be here before I know it. And knowing I should be able to swim in three weeks makes me even happier.

My latest PT session had me getting my knee to 114 degree bent and -6 degrees straight for a nice round 120 degrees of Range Of Motion. And today I was down a little more weight even though I felt I might actually had put on a few pounds. Instead, I am sitting at 209.3.  Baby steps there.

I am remaining optimistic. Even with my limitations, I feel the best I have in over a year and half. I remind myself often that I am 15 years older than my father was when he lost the use of his leg. Each step is a gift but I want more. I crave to return to running and the goals I have set.  To continue to do things never done before and to check off so many boxes that have been empty the last five years or so becasue of COVID and then this injury.

Meanwhile, if you are reading this, go to GoWithSherpa.com, download the app, set up your profile for free and help make the on-demand app which safely connects athletes with their own personalized training guide a success!

Knee Surgery Journal - 17 Days Post Surgery

 Since I last posted, I have given up my walker entirely (after nine days) and switched to a cane.  Not just any cane but the actual cane my father used for 30-plus years of his life.I am realizing I was taller than my father as the cane just doesn't fit right.  But then again, even after using the cane for just a few days, I rarely use it at all unless I am going outdoors and need some more stability.

I have had a follow-up with my doctor and a PT sessions since my last post.  Doctor said the surgery went great and my incision looks excellent.  I was warned that there is a shelf life in this knee and if I return to running I will wear that shelf-life down. Somewhere in the 5-10 year period perhaps.  I am not using this a fodder for the "I will show them!" crowd or those lame stories that will "the doctor said I would never walk again but look at me now!" but rather just to manage my expectations and hopefully still surpass them. Perhaps that is all I can get out of this knee and will need to have further surgery.  If so, in the year 2035 (how is that freaking possible that that is just ten years away) when Trump is either in jail or has died, I will have to get another surgery. I understand that each surgery increases the risk of infection but I hope that we can make sure that doesn't happen one third of the way through this 21st century.

My PT session was a good one with me being able to crank my knee to about 106 degrees of flexion and also past 0 degrees to straighten. It hurts to do so, but that's fine. I need to work through the scar tissue and make this knee work for me again. My at home PT is going decent as well as I continue to strengthen the quad muscles and bend and bend and bend the knee.

I am down to 210.8 pounds which isn't too bad since that is almost entirely by diet alone. My pre-surgery physical and day of blood draw showed that I have elevated bilirubin (which I always knew) but also some higher than I would like sugar an cholesterol levels. However, as I gained 50 lbs I know that will come down in the near future.  Looking to get another physical some time in maybe July to see how those numbers have improved.

The past week I have implemented doing a short 20 minute set of chest, shoulders, back, and biceps once or twice a day to strengthen my upper body and burn some calories. I was told that in 4 weeks I can begin swimming again which was a really nice surprise. I truly think that once I return to running, I will likely bring my miles back down to pre-pandemic levels. I averaged roughly 2500 miles a year before COVID.  After, with less races and more time spent at home, I was over 3,000. I can see making my lies count much more than counting my miles in the future, supplementing with a return to swimming and maybe (yuck) some cycling as well. 

All told, the weight is down, the knee is bending, and things are looking good so far.  I have been told that a full knee replacement often has a constant trajectory of healing whereas partial seems to have ebbs and flows. So I am ready for that if it is the case.

Thanks for following along! Another report in likely a week.

Knee Surgery Journal - Eight Days Post Surgery

I have an initial physical therapy evaluation under my belt and one full PT session. Amongst other things I utilized during the full PT session was this machine that locked your leg in place and you then used a hand crank to move your leg straight and then the opposite way to get it bent. 

Straight was a piece of cake.  Getting it to 0 degrees was no problem and the 30 seconds I kept it there before moving to bent was actually a pleasurable feeling.

Bending the knee was a different story. I was happy to get a good 3-4 degrees past 90 degrees but it definitely took a little work. By the fifth time of both of these exercises I was ready for a break.

I am still using my walker to get around and haven't felt the need to push it walking-wise. There is virtually no pain from doing so but definitely the entire area is a little weak and wonky.  What I can tell already is that the pain I had in my knee from simply walking no longer seems to be present. In other words, half of this surgery's purpose, for me, was to alleviate the pain. The other half was to allow me to get back to running again. It is obviously early days in that portion of the plan but the relief from the pain that, at the end of the last few months had me limping with every step is enormous.

Haven't weighed myself this week as I know I am losing weight and want to wait maybe another week to see a bigger drop.

Meanwhile, I finally took the bandage off my knee after a week and yes I will have a doozy of a scar but I have a body full of scars so it doesn't bother me too much.  If it heals anything like the hand surgery scar I had I will be quite happy. Then again, if it functions properly it can be as ugly as it wants.  I think my days of runway model are behind me anyway. 

A little picture for posterity.  I like how Texas Ranger (my walker) made an appearance in the background there.  That little scamp.

Virtually no bruising that I can see and the swelling has done nothing but go down since the surgery.  Both  are those are a surprise.  The lines on my leg you see were put their by the surgery team and I have not felt it necessary to pub hard enough when I shower to clean them off. I do not wish to pull the flesh and damage the stitches or sutures.

Right now I have very high hopes and am feeling optimistic if already a bit impatient. How I went two months on crutches and then months barely walking is beyond me.

Knee Surgery Journal - Four Days Post Surgery

Surgery to get my partial knee replacement was on Thursday February 6th.  I was talking to everyone as they placed me on the operating table and then BLAM, I was out. Tow hours later I started to come to in the recovery area. It then took me a good hour before I was remotely cognizant and was taken to my own room. For the remainder of that day I felt fairly good. Virtually no pain in my knee. That seemed a bit odd until I was reminded I had an injection in my spine as well as a pain blocker on my legs. Not being able to feel anything below the waist means you also don't feel pain.

I had to spend the night in the hospital and slept decently considering I was awoken every 90 minutes to take some type of drug or have some sort of vitals recorded. Standard procedure and no complaints but come morning I was a bit groggy. My surgeon came in and told me that everything went well and I was unremarkable. I wanted to argue with him as I felt insulted and then I recalled you want "unremarkable". 

I left the hospital on Friday around lunch and now that I had feeling in my legs again the pain was rearing its ugly head. The first night at home was not brutal but far from fun as I could not possibly find a single position to fall asleep in that did not cause me pain. Pain medication helped for sure.

My second day home slid by in a haze. My third day post surgery was finally the first day that I was able to relieve myself. (Not trying to be gross; just documenting it for others who might experience the same thing.) It's funny how being unable to bend your leg makes it difficult to do some of the simplest things that our body wants to do. Super Bowl Sunday was my third day post surgery and I could put full weight on my knee while standing, even if I did not feel quite ready to walk on it yet. 

Monday I slept in until an unbelievably late hour simply because my medicines knocked me TF out. I was been able to walk around with the walker with no problem whatsoever and was getting excited about physical therapy that evening. At PT, I was able to get my leg to 90 degrees flexion with some discomfort. I was told that getting here in two weeks was the goal so I was at least ahead of that. I was also advised that while walking could be done without the walker, that walking was not part of my PT for now.

All told, while this is a rather dull and dry recap of the past few days (I blame the drugs because boy howdy they are strong) I am happy that nothing remarkable has happened. Full physical therapy begins Wednesday. Keeping all my hopes in check but excited for the possibilities.

Knee Surgery Journal - Day Three

I am not intending to post every day here but had a couple of things I wanted to add so I figured I could do so now.

I rode my bike indoors on Day one as I said and then went and swam later in the day. I have a pretty standard workout that I do when I swim which consists of four separate 500-yard sets. I call it the “Dane Workout” and it's something that has served me greatly in the past. During the first 500 I was feeling remarkably good. Part of it was because I was swimming in the afternoon, and I am simply not one who functions well in the morning. The workout went downhill soon after that with me having virtually no energy. I barely got my last 500 in under 7 minutes after swimming a 6:35 for the first one.

I got home, made some dinner, and went about the rest of my evening. A few hours later I touched my arm and it was sore where I had received both the COVID and flu vaccines earlier in the day. Almost smacked my head remembering that of course I was going feel a little lethargic in my swim after a couple of vaccines.

The next day I decided not to swim and simply ride indoors on the trainer twice. Both workouts were pretty difficult as I once again was quite tired. Today I did one workout this morning and felt a little bit better. This is also now the third straight day where I have completely cut out any sort of snacking whatsoever on the foods that I thoroughly enjoy eating. I knew there was no way that there was any actual discernible weight loss in just two days time but I wanted to get on the scale nevertheless. I know I have to take into account everything from the fact that I wasn't wearing clothes, I just sweated off a few pounds on the bike, I had rid myself of all impurities in my body (I pooped and peed), as well as it was a different scale from the first time I had weighed myself on Monday.

Sweaty on a trainer. Barely awake.

That all said, I was down 9 lbs from Monday to 213.8 . Again, I know that I have not lost 9 lbs of fat in that time but I know I have started the process towards losing that and much more I feel good in my ability to make all the changes necessary to lose that weight and get back to running and running fast.
I have run 19 sub-three hour marathons in my life. I turned 49 in May. I have not run a single sub-three hour marathon in my 40s and only have a year left to do so. 

Shockingly, I've only run 8 marathons in the decade of my 40s. Part of that comes from a three-year layoff during COVID and then basically another two years dealing with this knee. But I am putting this goal out there that before I turn 50 I will run another sub-three hour marathon. If I do, that will be just shy of 20 years between my first and most recent sub-three.

I want to continue to show people to Ignore The Impossible.

Knee Surgery Journal - Day One

I have decided to keep a rather detailed (or more detailed than telling virtually no one) account of my upcoming knee surgery, my failed meniscus root rear repair surgery, and (hopefully) my return to running again. I hope this will help others find some answers, be inspired, or entertain.

***

The quest to get back into shape starts today, 01.27.25 even before the knee surgery scheduled for 02.06.25 begins. Here's the ugly beginning.

When I finished running #everysinglestreet of Minneapolis, I was in the best shape I had been in for years. I weighed 174 lbs. Felt great. Was ready to start setting some new PRs again.

However, about two months later, after a lackluster half-marathon, my first ever marathon DNF, and

another less-than-stellar half-marathon, I noticed how my left leg was not working properly. It ends up that was the beginning of the end of my left knee working properly. (There were other races, an extended cleaning of my mother's house which probably didn't help, and other things but life has a lot of other components that happen but don't necessarily mean they were the cause of some malady. So I will likely not mention them.)

I took a major downturn in running May-September as I upped my cycling miles to get ready for a half-ironman. That race went poorly (mostly because of weather) and then one month later I tore my meniscus (which I didn't know at the time.) Three plus month of very low running and I finally got the meniscus tear discovery. At my pre-op physical, I am shocked to see I weigh 201, the most I have weighed since I played rugby in college.

Surgery done, I start my recovery, and I knew I was putting on weight. The truth is I don't know what my heaviest was as I didn't weigh myself at that point. However, after working out with weights, I knew I lost some pounds and at a PT appointment hopped on the scale: 223lbs. Egads.

I went to Paris to watch the Olympics, walked about 7-10 miles every day for three weeks even though my knee was killing me most every day. I watched what I ate. I incorporated a steady diet of pushups. Came back, weighed in at 201 again. I was ecstatic. I figured another month or so, with my new diet, and my return to running and I would be close to my goal weight again.

But the knee didn't cooperate. It wouldn't allow me to return to running and while I began swimming again, and definitely got into better shape (I could tell mostly because my clothes fit me better; I didn't get on the scale) I could tell things were not going great. Then I got the MRI and found out the meniscus repair had failed. I needed to have a partial knee replacement.

With my second surgery scheduled I needed another pre-op physical. My weight? 222.8. Ugh. I knew I was up again but I hated seeing the number.

But I am using this as my starting point. My rock bottom. Nearly 50 lbs more than I was just two years ago. But I lost 25 of it a few months ago with just a rigorous walking plan and watching my diet. I will do it again here. 10 days to go until the surgery. I will not leave that hospital at the same weight I am now. Like I am no longer wondering if my kee will eventually get better when it wasn't going to, and got the answer with the replacement surgery, I have the answer to why I feel fat: I am carrying 28% more weight than I was before.

Since I am chronicling this journey, I want to be as upfront as possible with all the facts so others can be inspired or simply root me on.

So, Day One. 222.8 lbs. Then 10 miles on the bike with a 2000 yard swim coming up later today. Snacks and other crap food I love are going out the window. I won't say I won't indulge in them again when I am back to running 70 miles a week but when you aren't burning off two pounds of fat a week JUST in the miles you are running alone, you can't be snacking.

Wish me luck!

Asselronde 25 km Recap

A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 18; 1st Edition
15.5 miles run in 2024 races
Race: Asselronde 25km
Place: Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Miles from home: 4198 miles
Weather: 50, rainy, quite windy

 *Before I start this recap, I have to say I can't believe I have been writing race recaps on this blog for 18 different years.  To be honest, most of the time it feels like I am just writing these for me to refer to when I am looking back at memories, even though I know they have been quite helpful to a number of people. That latter portion is why, even when I feel like I am shouting into a void, I do my very best to not just tell you, dear reader, about my own race but to provide as much useful information as possible about the race itself so you can be prepared if you ever wish to run it.

That said, let's start year 18!*

My racing has been in the crapper for the past year and a half. Yes, all race results are relative and if I hear a well-meaning friend say something akin to "I'd give my right arm to run THAT speed for one mile" one more time I might never mention a bad race result again, but FOR ME, I haven't been up to my own desires lately. There are a variety of reasons why I think that’s possible but the fact remains that it just is. 

 

The past few months, however I can distinctly point to one thing which has kept me down, having me DNFing my first ever half-marathon, canceling other races and running the lowest mileage I have ever run in a month since I started keep track on January 1st, 2006: my first ever knee injury. Granted, I know that 24 years into a running career, I’m pretty lucky that this is the first time I’ve had anything go wrong with my knee but that doesn’t make me feel any happier about the fact that I have it now. It’s improving, at least slowly, and it appears there is no need for surgery or anything drastic but it is mucking up my plans.

 

As such, I knew the race that I was doing outside of Amsterdam in Apeldoorn (a city which immediately like three friends of mine had stories about visiting even though  I had never heard of it prior to me booking this race)  this weekend was not going to be my best. I hadn't factored getting a cold/flu/hacking of disgusting stuff the week before the race into my plans, but when does anyone really? I got here to Amsterdam on Friday afternoon after an overnight flight from my residence in Minneapolis. I felt decent on Thursday when I left but after being up all night, catching a train from Amsterdam to Apeldoorn, I basically slept the whole day away. I woke up, grabbed some dinner and went back to bed. When my alarm went off a 10 a.m. (the race was at 11:45 a.m.) I had slept for thirteen hours. Even all that slumber and more or less half a bottle of NyQuil only left me feeling decent enough to contemplate whether I should run the race. I am a big proponent of NOT needing to be the toughest guy in the room when it comes to things like races and if you are too sick, too injured or whatever, it doesn't matter if you spent a lot of money to do a race, sometimes it is smart not to race. However, I felt decent enough that I felt a race like this might suck, but it wouldn't do any additional damage.  So I soldiered up he nerve to get ready, dressed, and headed to the start about a mile away.

 

As I was out of country, I did not get my bib number mailed to me and had to pick it up at a theatre which also acted like a staging area for the race.  But as I drew close, I saw no other runners and no way into the theatre. I will cut to the chase: the race was the next day.  

 

What had thrown me was I originally thought about doing the marathon, which DID take place on this day but a little outside the city.  When I decided that would be too much of a hassle for me coming into town, I switched to the 25 km.  I promptly forgot that the 25 km race took place on Sunday.  So I trudged back to my AirBnb, ate some lunch and took a nap. I got up a few hours later, just long enough to go get some dinner, drink the other half of the bottle of NyQuil, and then promptly sleep again for another 13 hours. 

 

When I got up on the actual race morning, I felt a lot better than I had even two days prior, but having to motivate yourself to do something for the second time when you weren’t even able to do it the first time is not exactly what I consider fun. As the knee seem to be cooperating I decided that I was going to give this a shot after all. Back to the staging area I went where this time there were THOUSANDS of people milling around.  Hell, I didn't know it was THAT big of a race! It is fun to race in different countries and notice so many varying things about runners. I noticed here in Netherlands is how unbelievably tall everybody is. That should’ve been too much of a surprise, as I knew this is the tallest country in the world, but there were very few heads that I was looking down upon as I got into the starting corral for my race.

 

 

On top of forgetting the race date, I had also put out of my mind that this was not a half-marathon but a 25km race which would be 2.5 miles longer. You'd think two plus decades into a running career that you can't make simple mistakes, but rest assured, you can! In addition, while yesterday had been cloudy, today was windy and rainy. Throw in a hilly and undulating course and this was not exactly a recipe for success. However, I’ve often said that sometimes when you feel like crap when you start a race, it’s good to know that you probably won’t feel any worse the rest of the day. Positive thinking!

First 5K: 

 

I knew that one of the two biggest hills in this course began around the 3rd mile. As such, I wanted to get out in these first few miles and see what I had in my legs before the inevitable slowdown later. I was seeded in the second corral, which meant that I had to run past many people who seemed to have massively overestimated their finishing time. It took me over two minutes of walking just to get to the starting line and I was in Corral B! There were many more behind me which tells you how many runners were there. (Nearly 3,000 finished this race alone and there were other races going on the same day.)

 

I felt like death warmed over but at least I could breathe. When my 1st mile showed me a 7:22 I was actually quite pleased as it felt at least 20 seconds slower. The 2nd mile was the exact same thing with the 7:22 even though I was moderately going uphill both miles. The 3rd mile gave me a 7:28 as a continued an upward trajectory, and I was feeling shockingly good.  Here, as I prepped for the big hill, was one of the favorite moments of the day. Often in Europe they have a Yield sign with a big "!" in the middle of it to get your attention. It usually has another sign underneath to tell you what should get your attention and this did not disappoint. As we passed over some cattleguards in the road (which the race had generously laid some mats over so that we would not twist our ankles)  I began tittering to myself when I saw what I now know is the word for “cattle grid" in Dutch.

 

 Yep. Wildrooster. I was wondering how crazy of a cock one has to be to get its own sign. This tickled me for at least half of a mile.

 

To 15 km

The problem with Dutch is that it looks like it is English until you try to read it and then you realize it isn't.  There are enough similarities that makes you think you know what is being said until you don't.  Luckily, numbers are the same in all languages.  Kinda.

The hill we were climbing had signs telling us it was "500m to The TOP" with a large inflatable arch with "The TOP" written on it up ahead. I could see, however, that the hill still climbed, at least a little way after this arch so I didn't know if "The TOP" was some brand marketing or what.  Either way, crossing under the arch and still going up was a bit cruel.

Between the fourth and fifth miles there are four false summits. Or I guess three false summits and then finally the high point. I was quite pleased that it was only an 8:08 mile for me when I finally got to the top of the fourth mile. It had felt much slower. Because of the false summits in the next mile, I was happy with a 7:52 for the next mile.  I say this especially as I was not thoroughly drenched from the sometimes hard, sometimes spitting rain we were running into and the ever shifting wind which always seemed to be in our face. One fortunate thing about running slower than one is capable of doing is that I was surrounded by many more runners.  I tried to use their bodies to shield me form the wind as much as possible.  For once, in this land if giants, this actually worked for me!

 

We were blessed with a downhill at the 6th mile and I ran a 7:19 which was nice to see on the watch.  I was a bit sad to see my pace slow to 7:47 and 7:44 for the 7th and 8th miles if only because I knew these miles were still going downhill, even if it wasn't much at all. At this point, I was beginning to feel the effects of the day, the sickness, the weather, and the fact that I have only run over 10 miles once in the past three months. I note at 14 km (or 8.6 miles) the paved course turned into a hard-packed surface for the next mile. I was surprised to see this because I had thought much of the course was going to be trail and had run so long on paved portions, actually seeing what I expected came as a shock. A quick upgrade as we approached the 9th mile, followed by a quick downhill to the aid station left me quite tired.  I was really wishing this was a half-marathon and not a 25 km right now.

 

I walked through the aid station, eating a quarter of a banana and careful not to drink the "tee" or "sportsdrink" as I had no idea what either of those would do to my system.  I turned the corner to be back on pavement again and locked eyes with a fellow runner.  "Running is stupid," I said. He laughed and said "And we are paying for it!"

 

To the half-marathon:

 

My walk break netted me an 8:41 mile which was fortunately the slowest mile of the entire race. Even as we continued uphill I at least ran an 8:10 for the 11th mile. Runners stretched far ahead of me on what I at first perceived was a rather wide bike path.  When I saw cars coming the other direction I realized that, no, this is a road.  I am used to sch enormous sprawling 6-lane highways going through the middle of cities that I forgot that you don't always need that to get cars around!  

 

 My energy was ebbing quickly but I was in pure run mode. I am disappointed to say I did not see much of my surroundings as I was running with eyes half-closed, using as little energy to think or see or process information as possible. I had recalled that once we hit the top of the big hill we had been climbing that it was all downhill.  But it was clear there were still some small ups and downs to deal with before that happened and each one took a small part of my soul. I was using runners as markers to pace myself.  Knowing I run downhills better than most (and uphills worse than most) I would let Pink Shirt Girl or Far Too Many Slogans on Shirt Guy, get in front of me before reeling them back in on the downhills.

 

Then it suddenly hit me.  I hadn't once thought about my knee all day! The cure to knee pain is to be so sick you don't think about it!  But in all seriousness, on these downhills, I hadn't once held back because of fear of injury. This pleased me immensely. A 7:48 for the 12th mile and then an 8:02 for the 13th had me once again wishing I was running a half-marathon as I could finally see the downhill ahead.

To the Finish:

 

My 14th mile wasn't exactly the blistering pace I was hoping for and I was thrown off how slow it was by the number of people I was passing. I only netted a 7:59 each as I continue to fight the wind and the rain.  Suddenly, as we went around a traffic circle, both just stopped. I was carrying about five pound of water on my body but at least I wasn't adding any more!  

 

I was now in adulation mode and was finding gears I hadn't felt since a long time before. I ran a 7:33 for the 15th mile and set my sights on the finish line ahead. A few runners either passed me or got passed by me but I wasn't trying to earn an extra spot or two in the standings. I knew that this was going to be one of my worst race finishes in a long time and a dozen runners here or there wasn't going to change that.

When 15.5 miles went by on my watch which almost always UNDERshoots my distance (what a 25 km race equals) and I still had a bit to go, I chuckled. I was getting my money's worth today.  I finished the last .7 of a mile at 7:27 pace and crossed the finish.

I crossed in front of someone I had seen a couple of times who looked like the race director and gave him a fist bump. I had finished in a time of 2:02:08. This made me 787th of 2833 finishers. I had run the notoriously challenging Around the Bay 30k road race in Canada ( the day after running a 10k in South Carolina) in 2:10:00.  Over three miles longer in less than eight minutes of time.  Obviously this was not my best day.

But it was one of them. It was definitely a victorious day for me. Not in the time category, obviously.  But when it came to over coming some challenges, I will remember this race for a long time.

 

 

Now it is time to heal this knee, kick this cold, and have a good year of racing.

Richmond Park Half Marathon Recap

A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 17; 11th Edition
157.21 miles run and 58 miles biked and 1930 meters swam in 2023 races
Race: Richmond Park Half Marathon
Place: Richmond, UK
Miles from home: 4011 miles
Weather: 40s, cloudy, quite windy

This year has not been a good one for me for racing. I could sit and analyze why that has been for hours and believe me, I already have. Whether it’s getting older, just having not the best weather to race in, a lot of emotional things going on in my life, or a combination of all of the things, it doesn’t matter.  It's been an off year and I don't really know exactly why just yet. I have had some decent races and one in particular that got the monkey off my bank but none that I was like "Yes! That's a good one."  Alas.

On Halloween when I tweaked my knee on a run I thought it put the nail in the coffin for the crappy year. But then 19 days later, I was feeling pretty good after a training run earlier in the week that went off without a hitch and decided to run a half-marathon. I woke that morning NOT wanting to run the race more than I ever have before. I knew it wasn't going to be the race I had been planning to run all year and I had zero desire. I then proceed to run the best first 6 miles of a race in years.  But my knee protested and I dropped at mile 8. It stung at the time but I knew it was for the best.

This disappointment of my first ever DNF in a half-marathon was a assuaged by how well my knee had held up to over 2000 feet of downhill in 6 miles. Fast forward to nearly a month later, and I’ve had some ups and downs with this knee, and was unsure even a week before whether I was even going to do this particular race. However, as it was taking place in the outskirts of London and I was definitely going to go on this trip that I had booked regardless I figured I would show up in ole Blighty and see what was what.

Two days before the race I did a little sightseeing run of 7+ miles and other than being a little bit jetlagged, and a little bit out of shape because that was the longest run I have done in two months, the knee held up fairly well. Also, hey look! Big Ben. Parliament!

As well as this went, I figured I would simply go out and race to the best of my ability and play the entire thing by ear.

I was fortunate to partner with The Fix Events in this low-key event in the suburb of London called Richmond. Fans of the show Ted Lasso will know it as the location of the fictional soccer team in the show. This particular race would take place in Richmond Park, which is known to hold some very domesticated, but still wild, deer. The race had something going for it that I like, which was that it was four loops of the park to get the half-marathon distance. Other people do not like repetitive loops in a race, but I find them to be very easy to handle. 

Even though it was mid December, the weather in London had been very balmy as of late. In fact, on race morning, it was nearly in the mid 40s by the time we started at the absolutely LOVELY time of 9 a.m.. However, unlike the previous few days I had spent in the area, this was quite windy out in the park itself.  I couldn't tell if it was because of the open nature of certain sections or if it was always like this. Either way, it was howling.  

There was a very old-school feel to the race, in spite of chip-timing and race photographers and all the trappings one comes to expect for a well-run race. I finally realized what it was: no music. No pump up music was being played and I learned that was because this was a Royal Park. I had no complaints about the lack of tunes and Depeche Moded the whole morning. (Meaning, wait for it, I enjoyed the silence. I'll show myself out)

Photo credit http://markeaston.zenfolio.com/

After I got my bib number on the morning of the race, one of the organizers asked me to step up and say a few words to everyone in attendance. I jokingly told them that, in spite of our reputation as loud Americans, I had not simply grab the microphone and started talking to them but rather had to be asked. Not that I don’t like talking to runners, I just don’t like talking in the morning. I think what I said wasn't absolute gibberish. 

Soon after I finished, we lined up for the start where we would begin by running a little out and back to make up for lost mileage that we would need from the not-quite-3 1/2 mile loops and awaited the director's vocal gun signal. The Christmas tree counted down and away we went!

First 5k loop: 22:52 

Photo credit http://markeaston.zenfolio.com/

The course was more than half trail or dirt or grass underfoot. Moreover, more than the first half of each loop was quite hilly. I knew it was going to be a bit challenging for me and a test for my knee.  Haven't ever had a joint problem before I have been so cautious and worried. Muscle soreness or strains always seem like such a more minor thing in my head.

I felt surprisingly good as I often do on race morning. There’s something about putting on a bib number that completely changes. My foot is metaphysical nature and allows me to take minutes off per mile what I’m normally able to do on a training run. But I was cautious and had no major goals other than finishing injury free. By the time we are done are out and back on the grass and began our way to start the first loop. I was somewhere in the top 15. Again where I placed was pretty much, no consequence to me. But I still wanted to do the best I could with what I had. As I mentioned, the first part of each loop was rather twisty in tourney with a few muddy sections to run through, and some hills that seem to get higher as the day went on. I held my own on his up hills, which I’m notoriously bad at, but was a little bummed that I was unable to take advantage of the downhill running that I am also notoriously good at. My body wanted to run fast, but I knew I couldn’t risk the knee. That said, virtually anyone who passed me on the uphills was passed on the down hills on the other side. As it flattened out, and we ran a long, paved bike path, I could see in the distance the area where we had done our turnaround before the first loop began, now I knew what I had in store for me, and it was simply repeating this three more times.

Second loop: 24:00 

Photo credit http://markeaston.zenfolio.com/

I felt pretty good and passed one or two runners as one or two runners passed me. I had a brief mile that was my second fastest of the entire day where I thought I might somehow be throwing down an amazing negative split and shock even myself but just as quickly as the energy spurted, it left me. I began a cat and mouse game with a couple of runners here that would last for the entirety of the rest of the race. It was hard for me not to push too hard but also, it wasn’t like I was lollygagging out there either.  This was all that I had to give. The wind was very much in my face on the way out and the hills as usual took a great deal out of me. I finished the second loop still somewhere in the top 20 but was now beginning to feel some fatigue.

Third loop: 24:21

Almost a carbon copy of the second loop, with just 21 seconds separating the three miles. I began to realize, in spite of the relatively cool weather and wind blowing in our face, that I was absolutely dripping with sweat. Most people were dressed much more warmly as the sweat rivulets made me look like I was running in the heat of the summer. The uphills got more difficult to handle and the downhill got harder to hold back on. There were also plenty of non-race participants out on the course who, while we knew the course was open, they could have been a bit more giving to those of us wearing bib numbers. 

I just wanted to get to that last loop injury-free and bring it home. I went down the big hill on the back end of the loop and looked up to be almost eye to eye with a herd of about seven deer no less than ten feet away from me! No one else was even giving off a whiff of surprise as I let out a "Holy shit. Deer!" As we crested the final uphill on the last loop, I was hoping to find an inner well of strength and speed to power me along and give me a slightly better time. 

Photo credit http://markeaston.zenfolio.com/

Final Loop: 25:03

However, That speed didn't appear. I haven't run over a half-marathon distance since my marathon in April and with the least miles I have ever run in a month in November since I began recording my mileage back in 2006, I just didn't have the chops today. I also knew that as I grew weary, my form could slip and I could re-inure the knee. So I simply pushed forward, holding off a few runners as we bob and weave through those running the 10K (who had started after us) and finished by myself in the finish chute.

I was 32nd overall in my sixth slowest half-marathon ever in a time of 1:41:41. That said, in spite of its slowness, it’s probably my top five most proud moments of all of my 123 half-marathons. I ran within myself, not knowing what my knee would do, on a pretty challenging day even on a good knee. It seems, as of Monday and a flight home, that I am no worse for the wear today and that I might, just might be out of the woods.

The race itself was very well put together and I am sure that echoes all the races the Fix Events people do. I can definitely say that the next time I come back to England I will be looking to see if one of theirs is being run around me at that time. 

Thanks for such a warm welcome, England, and for helping me end a not-so-great year on a pretty solid note.