Back in the Saddle

Here's a quick update on K: she had 6 stitches and the wound was about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. We think she hit a power cable that was sticking out of the ground. How it impaled her on the front of her leg, we can't figure out. She was looking for potholes and rocks, but this cable blended in with the ground. I spoke to her on Thursday, the day after the accident, and she was in good spirits and feeling fine. Her calf hurt; she said it felt like a big charley-horse, which we attributed to her stopping so abruptly. The doctor gave her a muscle relaxer and wasn't overly concerned about it. Thanks to all of you who sent her good wishes.

Head coach, Nancee, sent me the following in an e-mail: "It is a very unsettling thing to see an injury like that -- especially recognizing that it could happen to any of us who are out there running at night..." She nailed it. Even though K sounded fine, I walked around with a knot in my stomach all day Thursday, and slept fitfully on Wednesday night. It could happen to any of us and I was afraid of it happening to me.

But today I went running with the group. As Sister Smile said, "There are too many good things outside to miss." I can't really see myself running for 3 hours on a treadmill! My coach is Beth, but we ran with another club and coach Sarah offered to run with us. She had just run the Marine Corp Marathon, so was looking for a nice, easy run. There were four of us, two guys, coach Sarah and me. The guys ran 4 miles, but I wanted to run 6 so Sarah ran with me. She's a four hour marathoner, so you can imagine how slow it must have seemed for her, but she never complained. However, she pushed the pace and it was great to run alonside her. I had never met her before and I enjoyed talking to another woman runner, asking her running history. She's run several marathons and has been running about 10 years. Unfortunately, I hadn't charged the Garmin and it stopped after 15 minutes, so I don't have a record of my mileage and splits.

The local running store was offering 25% off to the class, so I went there after the run. I signed up with the beginning/recreational runners group because the marathon training group was too fast for me. My goal is to work on my speed and endurance, then PR at the Nike Women's marathon next October. The group runs on Monday and Wednesday nights, and I figured it would help me with my speed. It will also ensure I actually run; nothing like a group waiting for you to get you out of the house. Then I can run on Saturday's with my friends. Today was special, because of the store run.

Who can resist a bargain? I needed new shoes; those Asics Gel Kinsei I bought last winter were no longer giving me any support. God, I loved those shoes! I also have a pair of Adidas Supernova Cushion, but the Kinsei were what I reached for whenever I had a long run. So I bought a new pair for $41 off retail! I also got a pair of Smartwool socks, a case of GU, and a reflective vest for 30% off. I'll go to REI to buy a headlamp. The one I bought for $15 is lame and Wednesday's accident taught me not to skimp on safety. The guy at the running store told me to buy Petzl Tikka, which they didn't carry at this store. I'll let you know how it works out.