Old Man Still running

Race week.  Rested this morning.  Lower back was feeling sore from the cross-training, so I gave it a break.  Leg seems the same.   Weather forecast looks perfect.   High of 58 and low of 38.  (It will get colder near the dam).  Should be about the same as last year although last year it was below freezing at the start with frost on all the bridges.

Pool workout in the morning.  Walk during lunch.  The leg is about the same.  

130 miles this month.  Lowest month in 25 months, the last time I hammered that leg.

Just three more days.  Pool workout including a 1+ mile swim.  Been trying to keep the weight down.  Tough when I'm not training as much.  I'm about 4-5 pounds over my usual race weight.

Leg, about the same.  What can I say?  It will be painful, but I hope it decreases.  I believe there has been some good improvement.   When I walk with a mid-sole or toe strke, there is very little pain.  That is why there is less pain running faster.  With a heel strike, there is pain down on the tibia.  It just won't go away.  I suspect those are just nerve endings.  Hopefully they will go numb.  Also underside knee cap pain that shifts around.  That shouldn't be a big deal.

Evening.  No pain at all in leg.  Go figure.  There is hope.

Leg is feeling pretty good this morning.  The next worry is the weather.  My flight goes through Denver and there is a big storm there tomorrow.  I have a morning flight so hopefully with just delays I will be fine getting there.  Last year there was a big storm in Texas and probably about 100 runners never made it.   If they cancel the flight, there are alternatives through Phoenix with different airlines.

Finished my 5th RR100 and got the 500-mile jacket.  Barely finished.  I went into the race with an injured leg, hoping it wasn't too injured and would calm down after about ten miles.  It did, but later got terrible.  Today I can't bare any weight on it and am making a trip to the doctor.  I almost quit at mile 60, but there still wasn't any swelling so I decided to try at least another 4 miles with my pacer, flatlander.  Felt a little better, so kept going.  I couldn't really run anymore.  If I tried to run faster than 12-minute pace, the pain would be terrible.  By mile 80, I couldn't go faster than 15-minute pace and needed to do the last 20 miles with trekking poles.   At mile 93, the knee started to swell up a little so I slowed way down to be very careful, probably doing 30-minute miles.   I did a little better for the last seven miles with my pacer Wade who kept my mind off the pain.   I crossed the finish line in a very slow 28:23, by far my slowest RR100, but I got it done.

A terrible thunderstorm hit about an hour before the start and lasted for two hours dumping at least two inches of rain on the course.  During Loop 1 at about mile 14, I took a face plant in a mud bog....head to toe in mud including face.   I couldn't clean up until mile 20.  It was pretty funny.  I still had hopes for a 20-hour finish at mile 40, but then the leg got worse and by mile 55 I was in rough shape.   Had to run the last 5 miles of that loop by moon-light because I forgot to take a light with me on that loop, I was going too slow.   At mile 60, I was about ten miles behind my pace last year.  Matt Watts caught up to me around mile 70 and it was fun to run with him for about 10 miles.  He ended up finishing more than three hours before me.

Anyway, great crazy fun.   I'm hoping that won't be the last 100-miler I will run.  We shall see.   I suspect I have at least two months of healing ahead of me.