Getting a leg up on it

Well, another test drive of the right knee this past Saturday turned up only 3 miles. It's Thursday now as I write this and I haven't run since then. I've been aggressively icing the right knee for the past two and a half weeks in the hopes of getting it healed up before my marathon on April 19.

Alas, I'm having second thoughts about completing the race. As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm nowhere near the mileage I need to be at this point to finish 26.2 miles. Two of the three 20 mile training runs that are on my schedule have come and gone, only having completed no more than 4 or so miles on each. As I learned in Chicago, 26.2 is nothing to be messed with- it will chew you up and spit you back out with nary a sign of mercy.

I'm doing my best in keeping fit during this layoff, concentrating on strengthening exercises, biking, and keeping to my strict stretching regiment. A co-worker of mine remarked that I looked a little thinner than usual, which I can understand because by now I would be eating everything in sight with the increased mileage I should be doing. I haven't lost or gained weight, though- officially anyway. Oh, and I should mention the Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements I'm taking to help my healing are quite disgusting, but necessary.

I have a couple of friends running the St. Louis Marathon next month, so I may just go to cheer them on from the sidelines, and concentrate on shorter races until the Chicago Marathon in October.

I've suffered through quite a range of emotions because of all of this. Still, I'm being patient, and know that once this layoff is over, I'll be very happy to hit the roads again.

God willing.