Life can be funny...
For those unaware, the day after my last post, two days before the race, a quarter of a mile into my last training run, I rolled my ankle and felt something pop. After a quick thirty seconds of complete astonishment, bewilderment, and, "WHY ME???" I called Jeff to see if I should "nut up", continue my run and see just how bad it was - even though the burning sensation around my ankle already told me it was somewhat serious. After politely calling me a word that rhymes with "plumgrass" for running two days before a race I had trained 4 months for, he told me to get home immediately, elevate it and ice it. Then I called Steve. He told me the same thing. Then I texted my friend Derek Norkol who is a nurse and a marathoner/trail runner and he told me the same thing.
For those unaware, the day after my last post, two days before the race, a quarter of a mile into my last training run, I rolled my ankle and felt something pop. After a quick thirty seconds of complete astonishment, bewilderment, and, "WHY ME???" I called Jeff to see if I should "nut up", continue my run and see just how bad it was - even though the burning sensation around my ankle already told me it was somewhat serious. After politely calling me a word that rhymes with "plumgrass" for running two days before a race I had trained 4 months for, he told me to get home immediately, elevate it and ice it. Then I called Steve. He told me the same thing. Then I texted my friend Derek Norkol who is a nurse and a marathoner/trail runner and he told me the same thing.
And that's why life can be funny. For the past three weeks, all I could worry about was my knees and then I suddenly found myself not worrying about them at all due to more immediate issues. (This picture was taken exactly 40 hours before the start of the race.)
They say that through adversity, you learn a little about yourself. When I started this training journey, I wondered how I'd ever be able to complete 26.2 miles. Then things were looking good and my knee troubles started and I wondered if they would hold up enough to allow me to finish. Then, I started thinking they would be OK and then my ankle went on me. Well, I learned a little about myself. Despite having several good excuses to back out of the race, not once did I even consider it. I did accept the fact that I might have to pull out at the first aid station 3.3 miles in to the race, but no matter what, I was going to strap up, toe the starting line and do what I could for as long as I could. One of the whole reasons I started this blog was to eliminate my ability to back out. Add that to the fact that for the past 18 years of teaching English, I've shared one of my favorite anonymous quotes with my freshmen every year, "If you're not sure what to do, do what you can. Don't quit. Oftentimes you'll be surprised at what happens." The time had come for me to walk my talk, and I'm glad I did.
The way this is going, you might be led to believe that everything about the race was sunshine, daisies, group hugs and fluffy bunnies. Trust me, it wasn't.
However, I.....did.....FINISH!!!
Here's the other way life can be funny. After all the ankle anxiety, I slapped an ankle brace on it that I use for playing basketball, tested it gingerly the first few hundred yards - AND NEVER WORRIED ABOUT IT AGAIN! Call it an answer to prayer, luck, or whatever you want, but for 26.2 miles, my recently sprained ankle - which by the way is still swollen 6 days later - was never an issue.
Unfortunately, my knees were.
They say that through adversity, you learn a little about yourself. When I started this training journey, I wondered how I'd ever be able to complete 26.2 miles. Then things were looking good and my knee troubles started and I wondered if they would hold up enough to allow me to finish. Then, I started thinking they would be OK and then my ankle went on me. Well, I learned a little about myself. Despite having several good excuses to back out of the race, not once did I even consider it. I did accept the fact that I might have to pull out at the first aid station 3.3 miles in to the race, but no matter what, I was going to strap up, toe the starting line and do what I could for as long as I could. One of the whole reasons I started this blog was to eliminate my ability to back out. Add that to the fact that for the past 18 years of teaching English, I've shared one of my favorite anonymous quotes with my freshmen every year, "If you're not sure what to do, do what you can. Don't quit. Oftentimes you'll be surprised at what happens." The time had come for me to walk my talk, and I'm glad I did.
The way this is going, you might be led to believe that everything about the race was sunshine, daisies, group hugs and fluffy bunnies. Trust me, it wasn't.
However, I.....did.....FINISH!!!
Here's the other way life can be funny. After all the ankle anxiety, I slapped an ankle brace on it that I use for playing basketball, tested it gingerly the first few hundred yards - AND NEVER WORRIED ABOUT IT AGAIN! Call it an answer to prayer, luck, or whatever you want, but for 26.2 miles, my recently sprained ankle - which by the way is still swollen 6 days later - was never an issue.
Unfortunately, my knees were.
As I feared, they were not magically healed. About four miles in, the familiar discomfort began. By mile 9, after four miles of largely rocky, slippery, and steep downhills - the worst terrain for my knees - they were pretty much toast. For the next three miles, I "ran" whenever I could. By mile 12, after I left my crew (more on that later) I was down to very tolerable power walking. That lasted until about mile 17. Then it became a 9-mile trudge to the finish. Every now and then I would try to run, but not breathing while gritting your teeth against the pain isn't a fun way to run so that didn't last very long. The last three miles, over some of the rockier and more technical terrain, was not what I would deem pleasant, but at that point there was no option to quit - and I crossed the finish line 7 hours and 39 minutes after I started - in 161st place out of 189 finishers. And when asked almost immediately if I would do it again, I did not hesitate and responded with, "Absolutely!"
See, despite the fact that for most trail runners it's them against a trail and themselves as opposed to other runners, I do have a bit of a competitor in me and I want to tackle that course with two good knees. My goal this time was to finish and I did that. My goal next time is to finish in the top 50% - something I feel is very attainable with healthy knees. In short, I have some unfinished business.
See, despite the fact that for most trail runners it's them against a trail and themselves as opposed to other runners, I do have a bit of a competitor in me and I want to tackle that course with two good knees. My goal this time was to finish and I did that. My goal next time is to finish in the top 50% - something I feel is very attainable with healthy knees. In short, I have some unfinished business.
And finally, back to that crew thing. I've been reading all kinds of ultra-running books these last 4 months and virtually every runner speaks about the emotional lift they get from seeing their crew members - even for a few seconds - at aid stations. One of the coolest things about this race was that I got to experience this firsthand. I told Becky to meet me at aid station #2, so she wasn't at the first one, but when I rounded the corner to aid station #1, there was Stacy and Lindsey at the first aid station. I literally said, "WASSUUUP???" high-fived them and kept running. And then, when I turned back into the woods to continue, my throat clenched and this strange watery substance filled my eyes - and that was only three miles in! Needless to say, every time I saw Becky and the kids and Lindsey and Stacy from there on out, it was the same - except I knew it was coming so I had to fight back the tears before I saw them. (Heck, I'm fighting back tears right now just thinking about it while typing this!) And then at the finish line with Eric walking the last three miles with me after he finished two hours earlier, Jeff not wavering from his support and high-fiving me at the finish line, and once again having Becky, the kids, Stacy, Lindsey, and even our friends the Hansens there to congratulate me, it was all I could do to not have a total emotional breakdown. That feeling of love and support is by far the best thing that came out of this! (Also, I can't forget to mention some other major supporters who couldn't make it to the race but who were there for major parts of the journey. Steve, Wenday, and Bob, rest assured you were all on my mind as I covered trails that we ran together while training.)
So what's next? IS this the end? Absolutely not! Since then, some of my relatives and acquaintances have realized that if I can roll my once-upon-a-time 275 lb. butt off a couch and tackle something like this, maybe they can give it a shot as well.
Therefore, next up is the Superior Hiking Trail Grand Traverse on September 27th. Runners can choose from four distances ranging from 10 to 27 miles, all of which are run on the SHT and end at the Fitger's Brewery complex. While I want every bit of the 27 miles, I need to figure out my knee issues before I can fully commit to that. However, I am at least fully committed to the 10 miler as I believe I already have 7 family members and friends who have given me verbal commitments. For those who are interested, more info can be found here (we'd love to have as many of you as possible join us!):
http://www.grandtraverseduluth.com/Grand_Traverse/Welcome.html
So for now, I'll leave you with a slideshow of memories from a memorable event. However, check back in the future for updates on knees, further training, and a much larger slideshow compiling all of the pictures I've accumulated while running these last four months.
To quote Minneapolis band Semisonic from their hit single Closing Time, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." My Curnow journey has come to an end for now, but it has spawned a number of new beginnings for the future and I can't wait to tackle them.
Take care!!!
--Stu
So what's next? IS this the end? Absolutely not! Since then, some of my relatives and acquaintances have realized that if I can roll my once-upon-a-time 275 lb. butt off a couch and tackle something like this, maybe they can give it a shot as well.
Therefore, next up is the Superior Hiking Trail Grand Traverse on September 27th. Runners can choose from four distances ranging from 10 to 27 miles, all of which are run on the SHT and end at the Fitger's Brewery complex. While I want every bit of the 27 miles, I need to figure out my knee issues before I can fully commit to that. However, I am at least fully committed to the 10 miler as I believe I already have 7 family members and friends who have given me verbal commitments. For those who are interested, more info can be found here (we'd love to have as many of you as possible join us!):
http://www.grandtraverseduluth.com/Grand_Traverse/Welcome.html
So for now, I'll leave you with a slideshow of memories from a memorable event. However, check back in the future for updates on knees, further training, and a much larger slideshow compiling all of the pictures I've accumulated while running these last four months.
To quote Minneapolis band Semisonic from their hit single Closing Time, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." My Curnow journey has come to an end for now, but it has spawned a number of new beginnings for the future and I can't wait to tackle them.
Take care!!!
--Stu