I officially have a new pain I think. It's kind of been a little tight behind my left knee for the last week or so. It actually hurt for the first few miles this morning and then seemed to go away but hurt again as soon as I stopped. I think it's the biceps femoris and it seems most painful when my knee is locked straight.
I don't know what this means. Realistically, an injury now isn't a big deal. I have the big Turkey Trot on Thursday. Originally, my plan was to race it (all 8 miles). The start is very crowded (total race is about 35k people), but the last couple years I've had pretty good luck getting up front and the crowds thin quickly because there are tons of joggers and walkers.
Last year I beat my goal by a little over 10 seconds and I was pretty psyched. Well, comparing my pace for those 8 miles last year, I actually went slightly faster during the 13.1 miles I raced a few weeks ago. So a PR should be in the bag.
But there are two factors working against a PR. First, it's looking like the weather might be crap. Last year was almost ideal. This year, they are predicting warm at the start with a front coming through basically just before or during the race, with rain during the race. That does not sound like fun. Second, this pain behinnd my knee. I could run it easy instead, I could start out hard and see how it goes. I don't know.
The bigger question looming for me is whether I'll do White Rock. I'd been thinking about it. The price goes up again on the day after Thanksgiving, so I'm for sure waiting until after the Turkey Trot.
Reasons to run the Rock: I love the idea of getting another marathon out of the training this season. I have a bunch of friends running it. I'll run it easy, stopping to talk to friends along the way, drinking all beer offered along the course, meeting new people, etc. It could be the day I hit my 2010 miles goal. I was excited about meeting Stephanie, who is running it. No travel required, like having lots of experience with the local marathon. New course this year (largely similar to before, but some changes) and I'd love to see/experience it first-hand.
Reasons not to run the Rock: Hubby is running the half and I could go cheer for him (maybe with my neighbor who will be in town). A bunch of friends are running and I could cheer for them. I like cheering. I wouldn't have to run 26.2 miles. I could possibly prevent this knee pain from getting any worse. I could still meet Stephanie and just cheer for her. I could link up with other friends who are meeting someone at mile 20 and attempting to pace her the last 10k to a BQ.
Bottom line is that Boston training will start on Jan. 2 and I need to be injury-free by then. I could probably get through the marathon and even if the knee pain got a little worse, it would be very easy to take it easy most of the rest of the month and be all healed up by Jan. 2. But from a fitness standpoint, it might make more sense to cut the mileage back some now and just try to maintain at a lower level straight through Jan. 2. Hmm... what to do?
Smart me says if there's any pain after the race on Thurs (and I know I'll aim to go hard), I should skip the Rock. Stubborn me knows maybe I'll try to do anyway. What to do? Which side will win -- smart or stubborn?
Oh, I wish this knee pain would just magically go away!
As for the baby update, it sounds like the surgery will be tomorrow! His aorta is better than expected, so it's really just dealing with the missing ventricle.
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