I'll Get Bionic Knees!

Running 10 miles is not as hard as you'd think. I know, you're calling me a liar right now, but if you run often and train well the mileage starts to seem almost too easy.

Until you stop. The problem isn't the miles; it's the impact on your body after.

In training for the Athens Half, I've encountered aches and pains I wouldn't wish on anyone. Piriformis syndrome (my personal nemesis) has literally been a pain in my rear, a deep throbbing ache. Running gives me no problem at all, but sitting can be torture.

For two long weeks, I dreaded the drive to work and made every excuse not to work at my desk. I ate meals standing over the sink rather than subjecting myself to the dreaded chair. Stretches didn't ease it off, and ice barely helped.

My sister Katherine put it best. "You're an active person now. You're not allowed to sit."

Finally the pain wore off, and now it only starts if I sit for more than an hour.

After my long run last Saturday, my knees decided to let me know they weren't happy. My knee caps ached and snap, crackled, popped with every movement. "I'll get bionic knees," I thought as I struggled to bend my leg. "I'll be faster, too!" I worried that the problem might linger, but when Monday's run came, they didn't bother me a bit.

Through every ache, pain, and pop I've never thought to give running up. Maybe that makes me an idiot, but I can deal with the aftermath so long as I can still do the run. I love how I feel, who I meet, and what I accomplish. I'll run even if it means standing all day, and if my knees wear out, just pop me in a pair of bionic ones. Maybe they'll finally improve my time.