Endgame?

Well, this might be it. During an interval run last night I took a bad step on a downhill, and there was a shooting pain in my knee. I couldn't run. Bending my knee was difficult, but I was able to limp the two miles home, and the acute pain dulled.

This morning, while sitting in a work training, I moved my knee in some way it didn't like, and my knee locked up with a shooting pain that made me feel like I was going to throw up. Which would have been bad, because there was no way I could have run out of the room.

Anyway, I didn't vomit, but I did treat myself gingerly the rest of the day and make an appointment for physical therapy as soon as I could. I'm going next Wednesday. I won't run until then (okay.... maybe I will attempt a light jog, listening to my body).

In the meantime I am trying to reconcile myself to the idea that I might not be able to run this marathon. I am unused to failing at things I put my mind and effort to, so this is extremely displeasing. I am thinking that with rest there is a hope I'll still be able to, and if not I might be able to switch to the half-marathon, because I am fairly confident I'll be able to run that distance with some healing.

On the plus side, I did about 11 miles on Saturday and it was a great, relatively pain-free run. I didn't run with my group, but instead went out at my own pace on my own route later in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day. Here is a picture.