yep, another almost famous

At today's Endurathon half marathon, a buddy mentioned my pic on the Alamo 13.1 site (race report on the HM to follow).  So, in between dragging myself into the shower and a nap, I checked it out.  Yep, there I am:

or check it out at http://alamo131.com/  I had no business running that race last year - it was about 3 weeks after I dislocated my patella and it was still subluxed (hence the tights).  I'll be wearing tights again tomorrow for back-to-back half marathons, but more on that later....

Marathon #6 - Hartford

About 19 years ago, my good college buddy, Tara, suggested that we try out the Army - and I said "sounds good" - and off we went to Basic in Fort Knox, KY....

and I ended up in the real Army for the next 8ish years.  (We were about six years old in that pic.)  Fast forward to 2012 - the year I dislocated my patella, became hypothyroid, and discovered I have terrible arthritis under my kneecaps.  But, dangit, I was still going to run a marathon and searched for a flat, cheap-ish one. 

So, Tara suggested that I come run the ING Hartford marathon "with" her - and I said "sounds good."  So, there I was on October 13, 2012, freezing my buns off at the 35 degree start.  Didn't sound (or feel) good. 

(We're still about 25 years old.)  And here we are with team MAD (Making a Difference) - don't hate me because my pants are cool.  This group rocked - 7 private portapotties for 44 folks - most excellent.

This was my slowest finish - but it was the first marathon where THAT voice did not creep into my head and say "maybe you can't do this."  (Somewhere along the 26.2 miles, that voice always finds me and haunts me for a mile or so - until I grab it by the throat and choke the life out of it.)  This time, I was just taking it easy, and that voice never found me - maybe the voice found the Kenyans (or Tara - who finished in a blazing 3:37ish - but that's unlikely), and it didn't get me. 

The ugly race pics did get me, however.  Here are my cold running pics along the route:

Man, the fat face got me!

And then there was the inglorious finish....through the arch

That was pretty cool.
And they announced "Sally Seeker from San Antonio" - and I did a crazy running chicken warm-up

Then, I went full out crazy running chicken to the finish - check out the chicken wings

And that I did - finish.  But why does that chick in the blue look so happy about it?

I caught up with Cliff around mile 24 and we finished the run together (nevermind that he carried that flag the WHOLE time)

and then I finally looked at my watch and said "really? you couldn't break 5:00?"

But, in the end, I did it - broken-ish elbow, bad knee, and all.  And Tara managed to capture a not-so-ugly-I-rock-this pic

And then I froze a little more

But it was good. And now, Tara says, "we should run this"

And - wait for it------I say "sounds good"
Thanks to Tara, Kevin, and Brightroom for the pics - and super thanks to Tara for hosting me - it was really a great trip (especially when it warmed up).

Mostly following medical advice

So, I've been faithfully attending physical therapy and doing my exercises (with cat-weight added resistance); however, when I told the physical therapists that I registered for the Hartford marathon, they piled it on.  And it hurt.  I swear, on Friday afternoon, the PT tried to stretch my IT band to Albuquerque.

So, this morning, I was hurting before the race even started.  I ran the WellMed 5k (they sponsor the Women's 5k that I am directing, so I wanted to give back).  The PTs told me to control my gait, keeping my feet under me, and concentrating on even balance/not limping - rather than speed, so that was my race plan.  Since it was also dang hot and humid, it seemed like an even better plan.

Here are some pre-race pics:

and during the race - George (with me - above, behind me-below) is 70 and was gaining on me, so I decided screw the PTs, George was not beating me.

And, in the end I got second in the age group, almost following medical advice.

And I beat this guy - who finished the 1 mile run/walk, celebrating his 96th birthday - amazing!  His gait was MUCH more balanced than mine.

Thanks to Scotty Dog for the pics!

Physical torture-apy

I really, really don't like doctors or any type of medical personnel.  And I really, really don't like knee pain.  But, the latter requires the former - and I was off to physical therapy today.  But I'm still counting on the coyote cream my buddy, Victor, gave me - I believe in curandero therapy.

But back to physical torture-apy.  So, my right quads are atrophied (2 cm smaller than my non-dominant left - because I'm limping and accommodating). I don't think she believed me when I told her I ran a half marathon on the hurting knee (damn Trinity hills).  Anyway, due to my cruddy/cheap health insurance, I have 4 more visits there and this to do at home - at least twice a day.  Seems simple, but it hurts.  As she said "simple, but EFFECTIVE."

and now on order - foam roller (I've meant to get one for a long time), smallish rubber ball, and a kickball.  After this heals, I'm going to invent an awesome game that combines cricket with a foam roller, kickball, and dodgeball - with a rugby-esque drink up.  It's going to be epic, and nobody should sustain any subluxed patellae.  As long as they don't fall down on concrete.

"not running"

Doctor to Sally translation - "not running" = "not so much running"

So, I've been keeping it under 20 miles per week and flat.  I'm pretty sure that's close to not running.  This weekend's "not running" race was the Providence 5k.  I ran slowly, so I'm pretty sure that's close to not running.

We started off with a prayer (please don't let my knee bust loose)

And then a little stretch

And then we were off - I did not run a hillier race that morning, opting for this flat race, but concrete can hurt

and here's the frame by frame finish shots of the crazy, hurt-knee, running chicken

yep, it hurt.  So, I continue to try to eat anti-inflammatory foods, run less, and wait for the orthobutcher referral (I am so changing insurance provider next year).  In the meantime, I get reminded of what I used to look like.  I knew I was heavier - but wow. 

I need to rehab this knee and get back on the road.

Thanks to Ceci, IAAP, and Tim for the pics

Mas mal de ojo

So, next up - no races (this weekend).  Really, it's true.  I am not running any races this weekend.  Really.

Tomorrow, I go in for a knee MRI, which I am not happy about. So, instead of running, let's talk about my poor podcar.

Awhile back, the podcar was cursed with the mal de ojo on the driver's side.  So, I rubbed an egg on it, which seemed to do the trick (along with Cavender Toyota and Caliber body shop).

Now, it seems, the Ojo is back - but it's afflicting my tires.  Late last year, I had a flat and had to replace the tire.  After driving to Big Bend solo, I found this in my driveway.

So, I broke down and replaced the rest of the (5.3 y/o) tires, and my podcar was STYLING (well, kind of).

Then, today, on the highway on the way home from work,I felt that terrible 'sway.'  I made it off the highway, but this is what I had:

(yep, the pretty new tire/wheel - flat.)  REALLY?  These tires are so new, they still have that "fur" (nubs/nibs/whatever those things are?).  So, I guess I take time out tomorrow and MRI the knee, fix the tire, and then rub an egg on each of them?

More back to back and more owww

So, what's a girl with a bum knee to do?  Well, if you are Sally, you remain in denial and run back-to-back races for another weekend.  First up was the Scallywompus Tapatio Springs 5k.  I was registered for the 10k, but let my denial slip a bit, and I dropped down to the 5k.  OH THANK GOODNESS I DID.  Man, this was a challenging course - especially when my knee throbbed uphill and just stabbed with pain downhill.  Don't believe me?  Check it out here (elevation profile is below the map - but looks like this:)

Which made me look like this:

Yep, owwww.  But, I remained in denial, and the next morning, I ran the April Fools 5k.  Fortunately, it was relatively flat.  Unfortunately, it was about .3 miles long (April Fool on me, I guess).  But I laugh at the pain - here's me laughing:

and not laughing so much after the run:

And I definitely was not laughing by the time I got home and found my icepacks.  So, I temporarily set my denial (and fear of doctors aside) - and x-rays showed displaced patella (realigned, but riding high).  MRI is set for Friday.  At least the doc knows me well enough not to say "don't run," instead telling me "I don't advise you do anything that causes pain."  Considering that 'anything' currently includes sleeping, it seems that I am limited to drinking a cold beer.

Thanks to Scottydog and DL Morrison for the pics

Back to back

Well, the knee still hurts (pretty badly).  But I still made it through two 5Ks last weekend.  First up was the Culinaria 5k at La Sonterra.

with one of my favorite fotogs - Scottydog (this was his 17th or 18th race of the year)

On Sunday, I ran the Get Your Rear in Gear 5k (for colon cancer, which Scottydog beat - and never gave up - he ran too)

Next up:  more back to back -- I'm running the Tapatio Springs 5k (I dropped down from the 10k) on Saturday night and the April Fools' 5k on Sunday.

And then, I am putting on my big girl pants and going to the damn doctor about this knee.  I hate it - I just know the first words are going to be "stop running." (but I won't listen - my big girl pants cover my ears)

Thanks to Scotty for the pics!