Next Endeavor

    I have my next adventure coming up in a few short days. The Shellburg Falls Trail Run; 7 miles out in the woods, at decent elevation, in the rain and/or snow. There will be hills, and mud, and water crossings, and ducking behind the falls itself. It is bound to be a cold, wet, hairy adventure. As usual I don't feel particularly ready for this. It will be the furthest I have run, by a bit. Although I would not be too surprised if I ran nearly 7 miles during the Multnomah Falls Trail Run since I doubled back when I thought I had taken a wrong trail, back tracked, then had to re-run a long, jagged section of rather primitive, steep trail.
    I have decided that The Taper is somewhat over-rated for anything other than a serious, endurance event, a half-marathon at the very least. I am not running this week though, I have developed what I am sure is mild Runner's Knee aka Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, so I am babying my knee right now, letting it rest up a bit before the run on Saturday. The last thing I need at the end of my racing season is to be side-lined with a nagging injury. But I have been continuing to work my legs in the pool with the use of the Aqua-Jogger flotation belt, and am pushing my cardio higher and higher in my swims. This can help, hopefully, offset the lack of miles I am putting in.
    This year I have not been racing to beat the other runners, or tear up the track, I am doing it for my own sense of accomplishment. I am racing as an incentive to workout harder and longer, to test my mettle, to continue to improve my own physicality. I am out to set personal bests, not course records. So with a 7 mile run in my near future, I am eating carefully, as usual, and working out with an eye towards continued improvement, as usual. I am not really Tapering, but I am being mindful of resting my legs so I don't start the run with muscle fatigue. Once again though, I am being assaulted by my own body, and am heading into the race anemic and with a low PCB. But it is what it is, there is no getting around it, so I will just soldier on, as usual. Despite it all, I am excited for this little adventure race, the chance to run a new trail, see new places and faces, the chance to challenge myself again. I do love trail running.