Deflated

Saturday was our long TEAM run, and I am soo disappointed at how it turned out. The weather Friday had been beautiful, so when I awoke to freezing temperatures Saturday morning I was a little disgruntled. I had three layers on top –- but once I stepped outside into the howling wind, I quickly discovered it was the wrong three layers.

It was hard to tell which direction the wind was blowing, as it seemed to be forcefully blowing in whichever direction I was running. I couldn’t get warm. Two miles into the ten I was supposed to run, my right knee began to ache and pop again. It did the same thing when I ran around my neighborhood on Thursday, but it seemed to be feeling worse.

I tried to focus, tried to distract myself with my iPod, even tried talking to myself between breaths. But I kept shivering, and my knee was getting worse. As I neared the end of the first five miles, I took a left for the parking lot instead of a right to continue.

I felt a bit like a quitter. Kim, a TNT mentor and mom of our honored hero Austin, provided water and encouragement. She said to take it easy on the knee this week and try to incorporate more cross-training into my schedule to help strengthen it.

I was feeling better but still a little bummed when I got home. My thighs were wind-burned through my pants and my knee was starting to stiffen, but at least I went. Half of our team didn't even show up. I never thought I would be disappointed about only running five miles -– up until last week, that was the most I’d run in eight years.

Justin took me to Rudy’s for breakfast for some brisket and egg tacos. The cashier commented on the cold wind, and Justin told the guy that I was out running five miles in it at 6:30 in the morning. The look of horror and awe on the guy’s face was enough to make me feel that at least I had accomplished something.

I took it easy tonight with a simple weights workout. Tomorrow is our Tuesday night TEAM run ... hopefully it'll go smoother than Saturday!