Dancing/Running in the Moonlight

Last night my heart was all a-flutter as I set up for a possible morning run--my first one since August 4 (Click here to find out what happened). I hung up my winter running clothes, plugged in the Garmin and the phone, set out my shoes and socks, and dug in my gear bag for my hat, headlamp, gloves, and Run ID.  Whew!  Whoever said running was simple?  I nervously checked the weather app a gazillion times and my last thought before sleep was, "Please, God, no icy rain!"

Why was I so excited?  I have been injured for months, and this would be my first run since getting the green light from my orthopedist (Look here to find out why my orthopedist isn't a sadist who intends to chop off my foot).

This morning I checked my phone, and my friend Teresa was there with the go-ahead.  I geared up, my mind racing.  What if my foot hurt?  What if I snapped it off?  What if a zombie came out of the woods and tried to eat our brains on the trail?

Brains!  Runners' brains!!!

Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating.  Of COURSE my foot won't snap off.

The moon was full.   The air was cold and crisp.  The morning was quiet (except for my hawking and blowing my nose).  The woods were beautiful.

This is how it looked, but with a full moon in the sky.

I did 2.86 miles on the trail, and I loved every minute of it.  Best of all, my foot didn't hurt a bit, and it hasn't hurt today at all.  I am so happy.

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Falling for Running

This morning I fell.  It was really gross; I skinned both knees and scraped my hands a little bit.  I had the presence of mind to turn off the Garmin while I checked out my legs to see if I broke anything, and then I started right back up again to finish the run, blood streaming down my legs.  I looked like a zombie.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I run after a fall.

It's interesting that I fell this morning because I was just thinking about falling. . .and then BAM!  

After the Medina Half Marathon, I talked to a Tuning Fork and Color Therapist (shhh.  Don't judge.), and she told me that I had "lots of heat in my left knee."  Well, duh, I thought.  I fell on that knee in October, so it makes sense after 13.1 miles that it might radiate some energy.  "Did you ever wonder WHY you fell, and WHY the injury is in the knee?" she asked me.  "People deal with emotions in different ways.  Runners tend to run away from their troubles, so the pain goes downwards, to the knees and the ankles." Uh oh, she caught me.  I had to tell her the name of this blog.  Validation.

Anyway, I was thinking about that conversation this morning because I was also thinking that today would have been a good day for a running/crying jag, but I wasn't running alone, so I had to hold it together.  Then I started wondering WHEN and IF I could schedule a good run/cry and my calendar wasn't looking good and I needed to hold it together a little while longer and BAM.  There you go.  

The moral of the story:  It comes out in some way, folks.  Express yourself now, or you'll be dealing with bum knees.  It may be cool to look like a running zombie, but I won't be looking so pretty when I try to wear a cute summer dress tonight.