Because I just can't back down!

The race started at 8am

with a bit of a breeze

and temps below zero

So this past weekend I completed my second running of the annual Psycho Wycho 50km trail run. About two months ago I felt really good about this race (perhaps I said some things to some friends about taking a top three spot). Unfortunately for me, immediately after returning from Christmas break, and a nice bit of daily running I might add, my right knee decided to start having IT band issues.

No time to slow down
for a gear change!

About one month ago I bailed out of a long run (hobbling back to the car the remaining several miles) and for the past three weeks I haven't run a single step. Nope, zilch, nada. Unless of course you count the daily cycling and elliptical workouts, which I like to call "cross-training". Of course, the best was to train for a big trail race is, you guessed it, run trails!

Fast forward to Saturday the 11th of February. Loaded up with gels, electrolyte tablets, and lots of of pain killers, I embarked on a 4 hour, 51 minute, and 9 second journey around Wyandotte County Lake, all so that I could relive the joy of climbing over 6,000 feet in less than five hours and reclaim my entry fee. Yes, I did beat my time from last year by over eight minutes, but now I'm paying the price and stairs are my enemy!

Sunday I sat on a four-legged stool at the counter and did homework, though I think the lack of movement may not have helped my cause. Monday I rode my bike to school, albeit not without some aspirin and no extra miles. And now it's Tuesday. My major accomplishment has been going up and down stairs without crying like a little girl, though I must confess that I've avoided them at every opportunity (even parking my bike at the front door to my academic building so that I could walk straight onto the main level). My legs still resemble large summer sausages, although the initial swelling has gone down and I can don my favorite pair of jeans again. Hooray for small victories!

So, if you're interested in seeing what a few hundred crazy people were doing this past Saturday morning in negative starting temperatures, then head on over to Bad Ben's Trail Running site or go straight to the fantastic photos that Dick Ross and his team were kind enough to share. And a special thanks for my family to enduring it all!