Cowboy Hazel

This afternoon, I went and picked up my t-shirt and bib for a race that I won't be running. The lingering sickness, paired with some very worrisome pain coming out of my right knee the last few runs (think ITBS), are forcing me to sit out tomorrow's 5 mile race in the park. I also skipped today's long run. Combined with Monday's scheduled rest day, that will give me three whole days off. I'm hoping that, along with all the ice and PT exercises I've been doing, will be enough to keep this knee thing from blowing up into an all out relapse of the summer. It was a really tough decision to make, but I feel (hope) that it was the smart one. I've got to keep my eyes on the prize. Philadelphia.

On a somewhat related note, I completed rearranged my 2010 running schedule today. While flipping through a copy of Runner's World, I learned of the Lean Horse Ultra in South Dakota. I jumped online and did a bit of research, then came to the conclusion that it'll be a much better spot for my first 50 miler than the JFK in Maryland. It means I won't be able to do Pikes Peak but, on the other hand, it opens up the fall so that I can run New York.

And so, I checked over at NYRR and found that I've already run 8 qualifiers this year. I signed up to volunteer tomorrow morning (I'll be a Course Marshall South, whatever the hell that means) and am already registered to run a couple races in December, so I'll get in on the 9+1 rule. I know I said I wouldn't do this, that I'd wait until I could qualify on time, but seeing all these billboards and hearing everyone talk about this race is just too much – I have to run NYCM. And who knows how long that will be if I wait for a 2:55...

p.s. Thanks for the honest comments last time around. Y'all are right, I probably spent more out there than I should have. I'm trying to be smart, I really am, but it's just so damn tough sometimes.