Believe to Achieve

All day yesterday  I got this twinge in my  left knee on the outside(on the run it yesterday it was more on the inside but not painful) when I walked on it more hyperflexed/normal.  Not every step but one out of 10 or so.  OUCH.  It seems to be eminating from my sciatic nerve.  The pain comes out of my back and to the side of the knee.  The pain is UNwalkable and kind of sends a YELP sound to my voice box when it comes on so suddenly like it does and lasts for two seconds.  Not sure what to make of it????  Right heel was tender but not so noticeable with my knee giving me grief at times.  I iced it (no inflammation noted on the surface) and took ibuprofen and had my husband massage my entire left leg.  Sooooo.....plan today was to ski.  And that went as scheduled.  My other plan was a "3 mile time trial."   I bagged the 800s until next week.     Well.....certainly I can't run a time trial on the mill so  I just put the mill on a speed that is close to goal and kept it there for three miles.  Of COURSE I was worried about both legs now but hey I am not one to quit a thought in my head too easily.  I got to the gym at 6am and ran this:

 4.5 miles warmup (1/2 mile increments:  8:57, 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 8:27, 8:20, 8:13, 8:06, 8:00) at 2 % incline.  Then started my SW plan dropping the incline to 1%.  YUP,  ONE PERCENT!  Keeping it real.  I ran all three miles at 6:22 pace, no stopping, no slowing down, no holding on to the sides.   I didn't need to.  It felt really good.   I didn't even decrease the incline BUT   I did increase the speed the last 1/4 mile to 9.7mph by the end (6:11 pace).  RAN my time trial in 19:04.  I didn't want to be an over achiever just yet so I didn't try to go under 19 minutes.   I will save that for two or three weeks from now.  OKAY so then I cooled down for 1/2 mile at 8:00 pace.  BUT that was only the beginning.  Went SKIING ALL Day at Brighton in the bright sun and WIND gusts at times at 30mph or more at the top of the mountain (forgot sunscreen, thankfully I didn't forget my goggles, like my poor husband).  My kids and I had a ball skiing thru the woods and in and out of moggles.  No sign of knee or leg pain.  Well,  if you ski you know that ski boots force your leg to always be bent.  Soon after I got home and started walking around the dang pain in my knee/IT band hit again--- PULSATING pain--- kind of shocks you.  DAng NAB IT  I am getting old.  I just want to think I can be a spring chicken changing out my running shoes whenever I want without my body noticing.  BUT it does.  It notices every little change.  Ahhhhh ahhhhh ahhhh WHATEVER!!!!    BTW the 3 x 6:22 miles FELT very good (the pain in my heel went away after two miles of my warmup  :D).   I could have run another mile at 6:22 :D!!!!  I think I just have anxiety some days when  I get out to do speed.  As soon as I talk to myself and focus it all feels comfortable but as soon as I let in anxious thoughts I fall apart.  HENCE I ONLY RACE AGAINST MYSELF.   I don't have the personality to "hunt down" other runners in a race.  If they hunt me down I will gladly move aside.   No reason to battle it out.   EXCEPT with myself.  It is not business, IT IS PERSONAL!!!  PERSONAL TO ME!!!   : DDDDD