Watermelon Stampede & other running ramblings

I feel the need to write about my running. Even though, as of the last three weeks, there has been a great absence of said running. I'll get to that in a moment.

Jim & I competed in the Watermelon Stampede. It was held in my hometown of Muscatine, IA. Did you know that Muscatine is famously known for producing wonderful watermelons? I didn't think so. But we hold tight to that claim to fame. You have not had a real melon until it's a Muscatine melon!! No doubt about that!

So we went & competed in their annual 5k race. We both faired well, as you can see below, placing in each of our age groups.




I didn't fair so well on a personal level. I had to take it easy. It had only been a week since my Howl at the Moon 8 hour ultra run. In case you missed that update (I did only casually mention it) I ran 35 miles that day. No small feat since my previous long run had only been 15 miles. Going into that race (Howl) I had a nagging injury (sprained ligament behind my knee). It seemed only minor in the whole big picture of things. But when something is minor and is not taken care of properly then it can turn into something big. I TRIED to take care of it by not running for 10 days prior to my race. Aside from not doing the race at all (hello, that is COMPLETE CRAZY talk) there was nothing else I could do. So I rested it and then ran my 35 miles. In my defense it's not like I woke up that morning and said "hey, I think I'll run an insane number of miles and make my injury even worse". Although that is what I managed to do.

All the initial soreness and inability to barely even walk for a few days I chalked up to the massive amounts of lactic acid in my system. It's a perfectly good explanation. And as each day passed I was able to return to that state of feeling normal (whatever that is). Enter the Watermelon Stampede. I didn't have a good feeling about doing this race. But it was A) in my hometown and B) I had pre-registered for the event. Those two reason combined led me to go & compete anyway. Note that I said compete, not run. Cause I am admittedly very competitive when it comes to running.

Once the gun went off I knew things were not feeling right. So I took it easy. Well, for the most part. Once I got warmed up & past the first mile or so my leg didn't feel so bad. So I sped up. Some. I never got near the front runner, but I did pass up all them young school age girls (yes, my ego is key here). As soon as the race was over I could not get the ice on my knee fast enough. At that point I knew I had to get serious about this injury. I knew that if I did not nip this in the rear now it was just going to get worse. So I swore of any & all running for at least a month. I mentally pulled myself from my first official marathon that I had planned to compete in late September. (Luckily I had not yet registered for this race). I told myself NO RACES at all! No running. Nothing. Zip. Nada.

I've managed ok. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I miss it. The worse is when I step out the door early in the morning and feel that cool crisp air and feel the need to take off down the street. Or anytime I see someone out running, I think I seriously start to drool. I haven't completely lost it though. In time I might, but we'll deal with that later. One more week of not running then we'll test the waters & see how the leg feels.

Ok, back to the Stampede. Every year they give out free watermelons. Homegrown in Muscatine, of course! Jim's number was pulled & we got to have this beauty for free! (Although I would gladly pay for one.) Can you not see the sheer delight on my face. It's like Christmas morning and getting the present that you've always wanted. And yes, I am hugging it. Why not....it's a Muscatine melon!


PC: a truck full of melons.