Got ice packs?

I am becoming very fond of my ice packs. I have named them Desi and Lucy and they spend most evenings and some mornings and afternoons perched cozily on my KNEES. Desi is on the left knee, the one that hurts like @#@%&#, although the nice man in the running store insists that it is not injured, just adjusting to lengthier runs. Desi looks over at Lucy, who is sitting on the one still-functioning yet also whimpering knee and yells: "Lucy, you got some 'spainin' to do!" His point being, as far as I can make out -- fortunately, I am both bilingual AND an ESOL teacher, so I can decode his screams--that she told him that just one more mile isn't that far, and he believed her. Or something. They (and me) both need a shot of "Vitametavegimin."

I finally made it to the gym today after a 4-day absence. Walked and ran two miles before Body Pump where I destroyed any remaining elasticity that Desi and Lucy had restored with squats and lunges, and then back on the treadmill for actually running another 3 miles. Yahoo! I am back on the training schedule.

The nice young lady working out beside me at Body Pump also had a knee brace on like mine. I call mine Cho Pat, since he also hangs out on my knees with Desi and Lucy, and I want us all to be friends. Actually, Cho Pat is the manufacturer's name, but I think of Cho Pat as an over-achieving Asian student who is striving for a 6 on his AP Calculus exam in seventh grade. Or get to the finish line of the half-marathon before my knees give out for good. Here is a photo of Desi, Lucy and Cho Pat chillin' with Sam Adams, another close, personal friend, after today's workout.



The nice lady and I bonded when it turned out she had gone to the doctor today to find out she was also suffering from "runner's knee." She started running back in January. She actually started to do her squats and lunges with a full weight load until I told her that was probably not a good idea. I think she was grateful for any excuse that would keep her from continuing to grimace and moan in pain in front of the full length mirror, so we both finished the sets without weights. It still hurt like #%@#%.

Well, fans, the next long run is scheduled for the weekend: 8 miles. The new Ipod Shuffle is locked and loaded, but fortunately (or not) the training schedule calls for another "short" 3.5 miles run between now and Saturday. I will try to catch up to Kelly's quickly evolving pace. Or not. I am old, and I am fairly certain that the AARP membership card contains a pace waiver for the elderly competing in any race over 10 feet. Or maybe I am thinking of a "pace maker," another useful piece of running equipment I may need to look into soon.