I skipped Saturday's long run because of lingering soreness in my right knee. Even though I really need to get the mileage in, I know from past experience that pushing through that kind of pain results in long-term damage. This morning's run went fairly well. It was dark with a clear starry sky and a crescent moon. When I left the house around 6:00 a.m., temperatures were in the low 30's. I didn't notice any pain or stiffness for the first four miles, but then I felt a little stiffness creeping in. It wouldn't have even been worth mentioning on another day, but I iced it and took some Motrin when I got home just to make sure that it didn't get inflammed. This is a critical time for me. I need to put in a lot of mileage, but I can't afford to make things worse. I've had to walk/limp the last five or so miles of a marathon before and it's definitely not something I want to repeat. Since I'm fairly sure I could do the distance right now (at a slower pace), I'll probably take a day off if I notice any significant soreness. | 