Yeah well...

Today I ran 6 miles. Technically 5.5, but I am going to call it 6.  If you are going to sit there and dispute that .5 mile, then let's see you go out there and run that extra half mile for me. I'm just like you, I will drive around a parking lot for 45 minutes and break every single one of the ten commandments just to get that parking spot 10 feet closer to the door.  Sorry, I snapped there.  I think I have mentioned that running isn't fun.  It makes my body hurt and that makes me slightly irritable. It makes me say things I usually wouldn't like "Running wasn't too awful today"

The world wide web of the internets is a beautiful thing.  I decided today that there was no chance of me surviving the whole 200 miles with the knee pain I was having. I did a Google search for "Running knee pain" Apparently knee pain in runners is very common, along with the many other pains associated with running. But of all of the pains involved with running, I would definitely say knee pain ranks somewhere on the top 100 reasons why running is miserable.

Because knee pain is so prevalent, their were lots of sources and information to help you manage your pain. In true internet fashion, most of it was contradictory, made little or no sense or was trying to sell you something.  So, I picked out the information that seemed to be repeated the most and what made sense to me.

Apparently I should be stretching before a run.  I should also warm up. I hate running so much I have been treating it like getting into a cold lake.  Just jump in and reduce the shock.  Well, that is no good.  Also, when I run, I land on the heel of my foot.  Not good either. your supposed to run on the balls of your feet like you were a dainty lass frolicking in a field of marigolds. That is how I got the extra .5 mile in. I ran through the neighborhood around my house trying to learn how to run in ways I thought not possible before. I found my calves absorbed most of the impact, my stride lengthened out and there was much less pain in my hips and back.

I found that once you take the pain out of running, it is a lot like biking, except without the fun parts. You don't get the wind so much in your face.  No coasting.  Not many miles covered for your extra effort.  It just leaves you with the crappy parts.  Burning lungs, tired muscles and the incessant thought that there is no real good reason to be running.

I am still convinced that if we were to place a hidden camera in one of the smoldering caverns in Hell, we would see lots of early mornings and lots of running and most especially, lots of early morning running. However, without knee pain, running still sucked an additional 20% less. At one point I was able to ignore my body aches enough to actually start thinking about something else rather than how much I hated running.  Until my friend Shauna and active runner, drove by and yelled "Way to go Sterling!" Then I zoned back into reality and remembered that I was running.  Thanks Shauna. Actually it did give me a good chuckle and helped me run all the way to the house instead of just walking the last block, like I usually do.