READY, SET, OH NO!
15 days before my next race I ran my strongest and fastest long run ever!
14 days before my next race I caught a cold that I could not shake off!
10 days before my next race I experienced knee pain after an easy run! The next day most (but not all) of the tenderness in my knee faded away.
Obviously my knee was a concern. I decided to rest the leg, no more running before the race. I purchased a knee compression sleeve to help support and protect the knee during the race.
READY, WILLING AND (MAYBE) ABLE
On race day I woke up energetic and excited to run. I caught a 5am train to Brooklyn. The subway car was packed with fellow runners. We all had 2016 Brooklyn Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon bibs pinned to our shirts. To reduce the tension, we laughed and joked about the impending race. The weather that morning was close to perfect. An orange and red sunrise rose quietly over the starting gate. 17,000 runners raised their smart phones and snapped a picture. The sky was still a brilliant red when the race began.
After the 1st mile I did a running check. My time was excellent. My pace was steady. My knee was a little tender but strong! And my running was well-balanced which was a good sign. After 3 miles of near perfect running I stopped worrying about my leg. I relaxed and enjoyed the sights. Elvis was alive and running along side of me! He was dressed in his famous white rhinestone jumpsuit, showing off his classic long sideburns, and was blasting his 1957 hit “Too Much” from a transistor radio. It turns out the song was an omen.
At Mile 6 I noticed my pace slowed down, only a few seconds, but I was unable to correct the speed. I couldn’t get my legs to run any faster and I wasn’t tired! I was worried. At Mile 7 I felt my left leg begin to weaken, my speed was quickly dropping…9:30 min/mile…10:00…10:30. At Mile 8, I decided to protect my knee and walk the remainder of the race. I only had 5 more miles to go.
At Mile 9 I was walking an easy 17:00 min/mile. Hundreds of runners passed me by. At Mile 9.5 I glanced at my GPS watch and noticed my pace was still deteriorating. I was now walking a 20:00 min/mile and I was now favoring one leg!
Dozens of runners slowed down to offer me words of encouragement like, “You’re doing a great job, don’t stop!” A few runners walked alongside me for a couple of seconds to keep me company. I never felt so much love. I was surprised and humbled by the amount of concern and out-reach I received.
At Mile 10 I gazed out over the cheering onlookers. One of the handwritten signs read: “Run your own race”. I smiled. Time didn’t matter anymore. My one and only goal was to cross the finish line. I had 3 miles to go.
At Mile 10.5 my limp was now very pronounced. My pace slowed to a 27:00 min/mile crawl. I did the arithmetic in my head; at this speed it would take me at least another hour and a half to cross the finish line. With each step the pain shot straight up the left side of my body, the knee was impossible to ignore.
I began to wobble. Runner after runner asked if I needed a medic. I thanked them and said I was okay. I lied. At Mile 10.7 I literally could not take one more step. I lost the use of my left leg. If my left toe touched the ground I died inside. So I stood…on one leg…in the middle of the road…for 10 minutes. Then I collapsed onto the pavement.
ROADKILL
I couldn’t move. The pain in my left knee was now intolerable. Two runners were kind enough to stop and help me to the side of the road. They lifted me up, letting me shift all my weight onto their shoulders as I took 10 extremely slow, painful, close-to-impossible steps to the curbside. Those 10 steps made me dizzy and queasy. Lying on the side of the road, I watched the “back-of-the-pack” runners race by me like I was roadkill.
Suddenly I began to shiver all over. My teeth were chattering. I was freezing cold. Because I stopped abruptly my body lost heat too quickly. I had post-run shivers. A half hour later, still shivering, flashing lights appeared in the distance. A medical cart pulled up, two medics jumped out and helped me into a stretcher. The cart raced to the nearest medical tent. A medic took my vital signs as I watched the clouds pass overhead. My knee ache with every bump in the road. A pebble felt like boulder.
Arriving at the medical tent I was quickly wrapped in a Mylar heat sheet to combat the shivering, while a doctor examined my kneecap. He tested the knee’s strength and the leg muscles. No fracture? No tear? They tightly wrapped my knee snug, then they gave me medicine to relieve the pain. Diagnosis: tendonitis knee due to overuse (too much, too soon). Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle. I was lucky.
It took 6 days before I could walk without the aid of a cane. Next: 8-10 weeks rest, absolutely no running. When I close my eyes, I see snow on the ground. I see the sun rising over the river. I see the trees in the distance appear closer and closer. I am stronger. I am wiser. I am a runner.
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