We drove up to San Francisco again today for our 18 mile run. This one was daunting, and ultimately a little disappointing.
We met at 5:45 AM and carpooled up to the starting place in Golden Gate Park. The course was another beautiful tour of the city, this time running down Ocean Beach and around Lake Merced.
My knee started hurting again around the middle of the run, but it wasn't too painful until mile 13. At mile 16, I decided to drop back from the group and walk the last two miles. I was right at the point that continuing to run would have crossed the line from soreness to injury. And injury is the ultimate nemesis: it can set me back weeks if I'm not careful.
I had already adjusted my gait slightly to compensate for my stiff knee; I concentrated on using my hamstring and gluts to power my stride and lowering my kick to more of a shuffle. But this strategy was short lived, as it only caused those other muscles to tighten up.
I finished only a few minutes behind the rest of the group, but it was demoralizing. I was beaten. I couldn't even limp down to the ocean to ice my spent legs (not that it sounded like a good idea, anyway...)
The only good news is that thanks to the Myoplex protein shake I brought with me, this might be the quickest recovery yet. Eating right after the run makes a big difference. I'm starting to feel a little better.
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