Not so flattering...

Hair and makeup, STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

www.marathonfoto.com

Bib #9939

Select Marine Corps Marathon & 10k 2008

Yiiiiiiiiiiikes. I particularly like the one with a side view of me seemingly about to fall over at the finish line.

Beauty.

Looking rough but happy - 26.2 miles is far!

Super swollen IT band post race

Finished! Carnage report to follow

The Troof

OK, so I have a been a tiny bit absent, but not for a lack of action...whoa, that doesn't sound PG. Anywho, I think I have found a way to a) keep my cardio fitness up enough to manage 26.2 come October while leg knee heals and b) a form of exercise that will not bore the ever-living @!$%!@$#!$# out of me. What is it, you ask? Come on now, Reader, you know better than that! I have to be as long winded as humanly possible, skip over a few details, rant about something that shares no context to the current post (kind of like right now, perhaps?), and most likely publish the post, only to have to follow up with a subsequent post detailing the answer. So, let's start that long-winded bit...right now!

Soooooo, I have been kind of going out of my mind...well...even more so than I already am. I didn't realize how much I have come to rely on my running to even out my days. Not only does it burn off the infinite amount of energy that runs through my veins at all points of the day and night (I am the type that can wake up at 3:30 in the morning and play a full court game of bball with out missing a beat, and yes, I would dunk all up on and over your dome), but it also regulated my mood. That whole "runners high" bit? Well, I wouldn't go that far, but running certainly has become an integral part of keeping me feeling normal, that my day was complete because I hit the pavement. Now that I am forced to shelve the running kicks for the time being, my energy has hit dangerous levels. Like, if G.W.B. 43 was running my endocrine system, my color code would be flashing RED...that and the voice of my conscience would have a fake Texas accent and want me to clear large amounts of brush. Now where was I...

Brian Hetzel needs to contact Stella to find out how the !#$! she got her groove back and which direction he should go to find his. Damn it...I feel like a bump on a log every day that goes by that I can't run. It doesn't help that the marathon date is now approaching fast and furious, Vin Diesel style. I have heard from a number of people that if I just let my knee rest for 10-14 days, I should be fine. Hearing this is encouraging, as running all over Boston in poom-poom shorts and a headband for the last 6 months has not been easy. I mean, sure, I look fresh to death, but this training bit has taken a lot of time, dedication, and filthy amounts of Body Glide and nipple patches. 

Yes, I went there - get over it...although how great would it be to see a NASCAR sponsored by Nip Guards? Hahaha. Picture it...

"And there is the number 22 Nip Guards car playing bumper cars with Jeff Gordon."

That would be hilar...What? I am not, I just thought it would be funny if...What? I will get to the point, I just thought this was funny so I took some creative license and...FINE. RELAX. I'll get back to the story. 

Gosh, Puuuuuuuuuushy. 

Anyway, it got to the point earlier this week where I seriously thought I was going to run really fast into a wall if I didn't exercise. I could literally feel myself getting out of shape. OK, maybe this is an exaggeration, but we're talking about me here, so, yeah. I tried to test the knee out with a few really short runs but didn't get very far. Frustrated, I weaved in and out of traffic going much faster than I usually do (I have more speeding tickets than I care to talk about) on my way back to my parent's house in Springfield, MA.

There, I found my road bike in the basement, covered in dust, staring at me. So, with no other options other than swimming...I will touch on that in a later post...I brought her over to get tuned up and headed out.

And that's where the adventure began....

No change

Nothing has changed...well...it's only been about 24 hours but still. What can I say, I am hoping that one of these mornings I am going to wake up and it will be as good as new. 

The more and more I think about the race, the more I come to the realization that I will finish the race one way or another and my feet will be involved. I may have to walk it, who knows, but I will be there regardless; I made that promise.

Other results from the race

Well, this is not the result I was looking or hoping for...more of one that I was fearing. 

So, I have been talking about my right knee on here, mentioning that it has been bothering me, hampering me from properly training. Well, it has certainly reared its ugly head and got my complete attention. I woke up on Sunday and my knee felt really tight and sore. I know it is my IT band, I mean I can actually SEE that it is swollen. I tried it out by going for a very brief run, but the pain didn't go away. 

I know, I know, how would it...Hey, you never know. 

Shut up.

Anyway, it got pretty tight on the drive home. I stretched it out when I got back to my apartment, hoping that would help out some. It didn't feel too, too bad the following day, Monday, so I tested it out on a four mile run. I could "feel" the ligament throughout the entire run, especially when I chased after a few middle schoolers shouting out explatives to random people walking by, minding their own business. What? They were rude and deserved to get chased. Little buggers....Anyway, when I got home, I stretched a bit, but didn't feel any significant pain. I thought I had taken care of what ever was making it enflamed...of course I did. So, with that thought in mind, I tried to tackle 6 miles yesterday, a run that normally is easy and thoughtless. Well, it proved to be just that...for about 4 miles and a half miles. It was at this point that the pain in my IT band became so bad that I had to actually stop and stand still. I stretched it out, which is not a TON of fun, and proceeded to walk for a half mile. 

I am not good a going slow, in any regard. So, the idea of walking back to my apartment was not one that sat well with me. It is also why I have FAR too many scars, surgical repairs, pins, etc. for a 30-year old. So what did I do? That's right, I tried to start running again with about a mile to go from home. I got about 100 meters down the road before a shooting pain ripped through my knee to stop in my tracks and throw some serious shadow box punches through the air. I don't know WHAT THE FREAKING DEAL IS, but my body is angry at me. I mean, I know what the deal is, I just don't know why it is happening now, with less than two months left before the race, after putting mile after mile in. I ended up walking the rest of the way, which was also extremely painful. Yes, I know, I have done a number to this IT band, and I am not exactly sure where it leaves me. I stretched my knee really well last night, I stretched all the areas connected to the IT band, even my booty. I then iced it, took some ibuprofen, and went to bed, hoping for the best.

I woke up this morning, took one step and almost fell over. My whole leg is so damn tight, my IT is throbbing as I write this, and seems to be getting worse with every step. There is absolutely no way that I will be running today, tomorrow, or in the near future. I mean, I will pray for something awesome to conspire, but I also am not holding my breath. 

So what does this mean? Well, I am not exactly sure. I have registered for the race, I have set up plans to get down there, etc. I have put in countless hours to prepare, and I am not one to back off, even if it is the right thing to do. And then there is the Petit Family, who I am running this marathon for. Thinking about them, I have come to this early decision - it doesn't matter how I feel on race day, I will toe that line. I may have to walk the whole thing, but I don't care, I will finish it. I will be damned if this hiccup is going to stop me from accomplishing that. In all honestly, I have always believed this training is bigger than me, wholeheartedly. I made a promise, and I will keep it regardless. 

Any thoughts, hints, stretching routines, methods of treatment for IT bands, etc. is welcomed...actually I begging any and all of you to help me out!

Really, really dejected and frustrated-

-B

This just solidifies the fact that I will be in Arizona in mid January to run the Rock n' Roll marathon.