Saturday Running

Well, it happened. The thing I've been dreading for months. I injured myself!!

Actually, I don't think I really did that much damage, but here's what happened. There was a 5k at the mall Saturday morning and I needed to get in 10 miles. So I decided to just run to the mall, run the race and then run back home.

Well, I ran to the mall and around it for a bit for a total of about 4 miles before the race. I noticed that my right leg, namely the calf and hamstring, was feeling a little tight as I ran to the mall. It felt a little better after running to the mall, but was still just a little tight right before the race started.

When the race began I started out fast and felt good. I really didn't notice the tightness anymore. I was running the fastest pace I've ever run in a 5k and did the first 2 miles in 7:43 and 8:00. Then it happend. Out of the blue, with no warning at all, at 2.5 miles I felt a sharp burning sensation in the back of my right knee. I have never hurt my hamstring before, but right away I knew what had just happened.

It hurt, but not excrusiatingly. On a scale of 1 to 10 it was maybe a 5. I pulled up a bit but kept running at around a 9:30 pace. I had just passed this one guy and I wanted to finish in front of him. And I almost did.

I finished the race with an overall average pace of 8:05, which is the fastest I've ever run a 5k. Only problem is, the course was short. Yep, I busted my butt to set a PR and the dang course was only 2.90 miles long, not 3.10. I let the race director know, but oh well...

Well, needless to say I didn't run back home. Wendy had come the race so I rode back home to take it easy. I iced it throughout the day Saturday and Sunday and wore my knee wrap off and on to put compression on it. I didn't ride the bike Sunday and didn't run Monday or Tuesday.

Well, see the next post for more...