Trinidad to Clam Beach 8 3/4 Miler

I woke up yesterday morning, not really in the mood to run at all. But being the cheapskate I am, I couldn't just *waste* that $25 entry fee. I had to run. Matt made me do it. ;) He is working midnights this week, so after just two hours of sleep for the night, we were in the car, driving to our race 30 miles north of us in Trinidad. He decided to stick with me since he didn't have much sleep. It was kind of nice having him run with me again.

We were bussed to the start and then waited for 90 minutes to actually run. The wait took forever, but at least it wasn't raining.

View from where I took my nap before the race.

The first mile was mostly downhill, and increasingly excruciating with every step. My angry knee was as angry as ever. Would running today ruin my knee for the rest of the season? Thoughts of giving up running for an injury swirled through my head. I couldn't let that happen. The three mile race started simultaneously with ours, so I could bail out at the 3 mile mark if I was in too much pain. The course was beautiful. Weaving through the giant Redwoods above us, I have never felt so small and insignificant.

Several long uphills provided my knee with some rest, and I breathed a sign of relief as the pain subsided--if only momentarily. I spent miles two and three preoccupied with whether I should finish it out, or run the 3 mile race instead. I have never dropped out of a race. I didn't intend to start now. My internal bullheaded runner would have to carry me through.

And I'm glad I did. The course opened up to a wall of trees on one side, and the glistening blue sea on the other. I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed by the beautiful Redwood Coast.

Mile four.

My knee got even angrier with the passing miles and steeply sloped roads. These roads would wash away with every single rainfall if they weren't sloped to this absurd degree. But running on them? Sheer agony on my IT Band.

Mile five.

I self-medicated myself with the beautiful views and the abundant sunshine. It sure looks different when the rain stops.

Only able to pass up the guys that are twice my age. Go me. haha...

Matt stayed with me the entire race, occupying himself by stopping to take photos and then catching up. So it's like I had my own private paparazzi to document the event. ((We have a joke that he always takes his personal photographer on camping and backpacking trips because we have lots of photos of him but far fewer of myself, since I'm always behind the camera.)) So we got to switch it up this time. :)

At mile six, we descended down one final and extremely steep hill to the beach. As I crossed from the roadway to the beach about a foot down, I paused, and approached it the same way an 80 year old woman with arthritis would : very slow and cautious. Apparently that wasn't enough. A stabbing pain soared through my knee. Tears welled up in my eyes. That hurt more than anything else thus far. A crowd of spectators were gathered around. I couldn't let myself cry, although the agony surely showed in my face and severe limping. Just a hundred feet beyond my misstep, was a river crossing, the Little River.

Icy Heaven.

Coast guard members stood aside, waiting to rescue any fallen runner before they were swept away into the ocean. Icy cold water flooded my shoes as I sunk up to my thighs in the river. The current was strong, but the water revived my sore knee and felt incredible. I wanted to wade in the water a little longer, but I was beginning to get hungry, so I pressed on.

Compared to the slanted roadways, the beach felt flat. The beach was so much easier to run, even with my shoes being a couple more pounds with the new water weight. The sand was packed hard and was more forgiving with each step.... until..

Finally, a flat surface to run on! and Man in the
Green Shirt is WAAAAY back there.

The wind picked up. A strong cold front was coming through, according to my personal weatherman husband. I drafted behind him, trying to shield myself from the oncoming wind. I had to stretch my leg another time on the beach. The Man in the Green Shirt had played leap-frog with us the entire race. I was determined to finish ahead of him. He had nobody to draft behind, and eventually my Superman Husband Shield proved too great a force and he folded like a little girl . :) We left him behind with about half a mile to go. Just as I saw the finish line, the packed sand turned to soft sand of about four inch depth. Amazingly cruel. Everyone was watching me finish, so I couldn't stop to walk. I fought my way to just stay upright as I slipped ungracefully in the soft sand. Just a quarter mile left, red-lining my effort level, I thought I'd collapse right in front of everyone. I kept picturing Man in the Green Shirt right behind, taking the lead, and finishing ahead of me. I had to keep going. I hit the finish line and my knee immediately seized up. I have never been so glad to finish a run than this one.

Despite an angry knee, this is how I finished :

80/245 women
1:16.57
8:48/mi

Not too bad considering I didn't even want to run at all.



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Today, I awoke with the overwhelming urge to run. I had to channel the energy into something else, so I popped the 30-Day Shred into the DVD player. And holy crap, Jillian Michaels kicked my butt. Being a 20- minute HIIT (High intensity interval training) workout, it left my arms and legs noodly and exhilarated at the same time. And I felt little discomfort in my knee. Butt kicking cardio + a break for my knee = just what I was looking for. I think this will be one cross-training activity I can stick with because it still feels like a good workout.