Monday, June 28, 2010

Back on the Trails - Two Miles at a Time

As a palette cleanser between the rush of Western States 100 reports, I had to mark my official return to the trails yesterday after my 6-weeks of full rest.  It was all of two miles, taking a dash over 16 minutes, but it felt epic nevertheless.  On the first mid 80s afternoon here in the Wood River Valley, it was a true gift to get to lace up a new pair of green and black Wildcats, grab my visor, and tick off a steady pace in full sun on the  buffed out Croy Creek trails. I even brought my camera along to capture the affair.

I have no idea how my knee's going to do over the next few weeks.  It told me yesterday that things hadn't perfectly resolved with rest.  So while I enjoy some easy days on the trail slowly building up my miles, I'll be monitoring things closely and gathering my thoughts on my next therapy steps.  There's been no lack of advice from people on where to turn, something I very much appreciate, but it's hard to decide which might be the most effective and economic approach.  ASTYM, structural integration, acupuncture, energy work, cupping, ultrasound, steroid injections, surgery.  Hopefully, I'll have a bit of solo time on the trail to form a cogent plan, and if things go right,  maybe I won't need a plan at all.

6 comments:

Derrick said...

Good luck with the return. Hope all goes well.

Anonymous said...

Hope you enjoy trail running again!

Gretchen said...

Funny how two miles can seem like such a blessing, isn't it? I'm really impressed you took a full six weeks off. It's tough to do, and tough to come back from as well. Nice job! I hope your return to running unfolds without a hitch!

Hank Dart said...

Thanks for the well-wishes, all. Gretchen, it *was* tough - tougher in many ways than any of my big races last year. But, no one has ever said this sport was easy. Cheers.

Unknown said...

Are you training for any races?

Lesley Looper said...

Hope your knee makes a full recovery soonest!

My one and only marathon has been the Triple Lakes Trail Race in Greensboro, NC. It's a half, full, and 40 miler. Tough course for my first marathon, but it was a beautiful trail.