Another Hour - knee better

Yesterday, my knee was really painful. The left knee. So painful that I was contemplating not running. Many thoughts crossed my mind as I moved from one meeting to the next. From the idea of accepting that I wont run the marathon this year to the thought of stopping to train now and going to the marathon in whatever shape I will be 4 weeks from now.
But I thought to myself that I have run through injuries before. And recovered. I thought I have run so many Kilometers on the tarmac, especially in May and June this year that that could not have gone to waste: my body must be stronger - the other muscles surely must protect my knees?
I thought there have been so many times I have started running whilst in pain only for the pain to go away and disappear after the run. I thought I am running on a soft track and how worse can it be?
So I said, fuckit and I went to the field. I decided that since its the left leg, maybe its because of running clockwise around the pitch and the leg probably is more strained because of the sharp corners it has to initate.
So I decided to run anticlockwise. And boy, didn't I own the track!
I enjoyed the run and after 50 minutes started fartleks again, this time, faster and more confident compared to yesterday. I also discovered my pace. I realized that so many times, I run but with a pause between the steps, some microseconds of pause. My new pace is delivering the leg turnover fluidly and without any pause, either mentally or physically, so that the legs alternate and swing like a wheel.
I love it.
Because of the speed runs, my lower legs, which do the pushing, are now sore but I am happy for that. Plus I have lost 500 grams.
I iced my knee yesterday and did 200 leg extensions. My quads will be stronger and my knee will get better.
Today I rest. Tomorrow, probably another hour.
Today I give you Constantina Dita who is one of the most successful Romanian athletes of all-time. She is currently the Romanian national road record holder for the 5K, 10K, 15K, Half Marathon and the Marathon.
I admire her because of what she has accomplished at her age and for bearing the weight of holding the mantle for Romania all by herself.


The highlight of her career came at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games marathon. After running with the pack through a conservative first half, she broke away and no one chased after her. Dita continued to accelerate the pace and she went on to claim the Olympic gold by 22 seconds. At the age of 38 her unexpected triumph made her not just the oldest Olympic marathon champion ever, male or female, but the oldest Olympic marathon medalist.

Cheers.