Today was supposed to be my last “long” run to prepare for AR50. The plan I was loosely following said to do 10 today, 5 tomorrow, then pretty much just a few shake-out miles during the week. (That’s cool running lingo for easy paced 2-6ish mile runs.) So off I went to my parents house to use their treadmill (it was raining!! and I needed to steal toilet paper). Unfortunately, after 2 miles I got some &*$%#^@!! pain in my left knee. Rather than push through as I normally would, I finished my run, and did some cycling and walking instead.

I remember the first couple marathons I ran, I freaked out the week before. I worried that I hadn’t trained enough (which was true, I’m a slacker), that I wasn’t going to make it, that I’d get injured, that I’d fall (which has only happened 3 times during races), or that I’d faint and get trampled by the crowd of 3 that were behind me. Eventually, I became more confident and knew that whether or not I’d get a good time, I knew I could finish the race.

This time, however, I’m attempting a distance I haven’t even come close to running. The time limit for this race is to run 50 miles in under 13 hours. Taking my worst marathon and worst 50 K time, it would take me about 12 hours and 15 minutes to finish 57 miles. That means I’m golden, right??

So, this week will be spent NOT running, for the sake of my knees. It will also be spent trying NOT to freak out with anxiety. I swear, I will never ever ever NEVER NEVER take my knees for granted if they can get me through 50 miles next Saturday!

Nothing is uglier than a pouty, sweaty 28 year old

I <3 u knees and will never take you for granted!! You complete me!