The day started out great. It was not too cold (abut 48 degrees). Got to the site on time and handed off my drop off bag in the drop zone and proceeded to the starting line. The race started at 7:30 AM and the beginning of a long day ensued. Remember this race was two loops of 31 miles, over very rough and non-standard terrain. I ran with my buddy Miles (who I met at the 50 mile Huntsville Ultra) and things were going pretty well. The course was definitely rolling hills and at some specific times very steep uphill rock climbs. Here are a few pics of the flat parts:
And of course there is a corresponding downhill to all this. I should have known that something was going to go wrong when we got a few miles in and there was a guy standing on the trail telling us to take a detour. Let me tell you that this course is very remote and parts of it are not accessible by car or atv, etc. So they had these rescue guys out patrolling the course on horseback. So this detour was very unusual, especially the morning of the race. Turns out that on the crazy sloped trail with all the loose rocks, a horse had fallen and had to be put down. They detoured us so that we wouldn't see it.
So I say to myself: "Better run REEAAALLLYYY careful". Here's a picture I nabbed from a fellow runner with a small idea of what those rocky areas looked like:
At mile 15 or so it happened. I was following Miles downhill and lost my footing on those darn wobbly rocks and went butt over teakettle. I wrenched my bad knee in the process. At first I thought I was ok, and started to run again but after a few miles my knee started to REALLY hurt. And of course it was more agravated that the ground is uneven.
At about Mile eighteen my knee wouldn't hardly bend anymore and running was out of the question. I called it a day. I must say I was really disappointed. This was the first race I didn't finish.
Of course, this race was just for fun (if running 62 miles can be called that), and I wanted to make sure I would be able to Ironman Lake Placid in July.
I went to the orthopedic surgeon today and had my knee X-Rayed and evaluated. He said that my knee (while painful and messed up), I didn't cause it any severe damage. So that was great news. I start doing some rehab on Wednesday and will let you all know how that goes.
Super glad to hear that the knee isn't serious. Really enjoyed spending a good chunk of the morning with you on the trail (or what passes for trail out there). Get healthy for Lake Placid and then let Bandera 2010 start rolling around in your head... Miles
ReplyDeleteBill, I hope you have a speedy recovery. That was quite a harrowing course, based on the pictures. Glad to read your ortho visit was not bad news.
ReplyDeleteBill, glad to read that your test results won't keep you from Placid. Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery. --David
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your well wishes. I have my first rehab appointment today. I'll blog about it tonight.
ReplyDeleteSorry things didn't work out in Bandera, my friend. Rehab the knee, kick ass at Lake Placid, and then come back to Huntsville to run Rocky Raccoon next year. Oh, and how about considering pacing me at Rocky for 10 miles or so in February '09? No rocks to contend with and by mile 60, I'll be moving awfully slow.
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