Defeat February 19
I ran a half-marathon on Sunday 2/18, the Five Points of Life marathon in Gainesville. I did it in about 1 hour and 35 minutes. I wouldn’t call this a defeat except for the fact that I had planned (and registered) for the full marathon. For whatever reason, an old injury started acting up at about 12 miles, and by mile 14 was threatening to become very painful, so I figured it was better to stop at just past half-way (since the marathon looped back on itself such that the start, half-way, and end were the same point).
I don’t know exactly what the problem was. I have had problems with my left knee on and off for about a year. But, I really haven’t had any problems in several months. The marathon course was hillier than I had expected (or trained for) so, it may have been extra hill running.
Quite likely the problem was that I almost always overdo it. I think I was slightly unprepared for the marathon (my long runs had been at most 15 miles), but I talked to several friends with experience and they encouraged me (as long as I took it easy). Of course, I didn’t take it easy. I ran the first 12 miles or so at a 7:05/mile pace (Boston qualification is 7:14) and I figured I’d slow down if I felt tired. I never really felt tired, but my knee did start to hurt.
I’ll be scheduling an appointment with a sports medicine doctor and see what I can learn. Honestly, it’s hard to deal with. If you’re not a runner (or an athlete of any sort) it may not make a lot of sense, but I really enjoy running a lot. But the fact is that I seem to be prone to tendon problems. I hope there are some things I can do to manage the problem better, but I guess the reality is I will never be able to push myself as hard as my muscles or heart will let me, because my tendons will always be much weaker.
I guess it’s a little late in life to come to this realization, but I may not, in fact, be superman.