Long distances and my long awaited let down.....



For those few weeks off from running I felt as if I was done! I really felt tired and part of me wanted to rest for however long but the other part of me wanted to run even faster.
So October came way too fast for me. It was the beginning of my fall races which happened to be only one race.
The Seaside Heights Half marathon; My very first really, really long distance race. This particular race felt like an eternity, it was long, windy, cold and the sun gave me once again a nice sunburn :) the SH half covered the length of Island Beach state park, surrounded with trees and a hard surface road, this race gave me the sensation of actually buying an MP3 player as I needed to keep my mind busy as there was nothing to see while running or walking. I remember having some water at the 5 mile mark and that was it, there was nothing else or anyone else for that matter throughout the whole race.
As I approached the finish line I began to feel really tired as my knees felt awful as if they were going to break in pieces,. This feeling grew the minute I cross the finish line, I could barely walk, I could barely move and I had a hard time walking. So I sat for a while which was the worst mistake I ever made.
So I found myself being injured, with a driving distance back home of at least 2 hours. Luckily I had some ice bags given by the race organizers. As I started to drive back home the pain intensified to the point I could hardly press the clutch., After a few hours I was home and in need of a long rest. I was really tired and thirsty when I got home so I took a nap and drank lot of fluids but my pain was still there so I rested for a few days thinking the pain was going to go away but it never did.

2 weeks later, still the pain was there, I kept wondering what to do so I finally decided to see my doctor. My primary doctor told me I had Patellar Tendonitis which is another phrase for "runners knee", he suggested I should see a knee specialist so a few days later I found myself sitting at a rehab center and waiting for Dr. Getcha and his assistant to come and tell me the bad news.
Dr. Getcha said the same about my knees, it was too much, too soon and I needed to go to rehab for at least 8 weeks., Luckily I served those 8 weeks of rehab at the same gym where everything started....
An experience like no other, my rehab came and went with very positive results. Thanks to Jenn and her help I was able to save myself from further injuries. She became my savior, someone who always told me I was going to be fine and for that I thank her everyday I get to see her.
**THANK YOU JENN**

Unfortunately I went back to rehab for a couple of more weeks since my running instinct took over and ran way too many miles instead of taking it easy :)