Running, anyone?

I haven't run more than a few feet here or there since about 3 weeks before my hip surgery in the spring. When I asked my surgeon if I could run again, he'd switch the subject back to biking and would never give me a straight answer. I love running. That was not acceptable. My PT suggested that if I was to try running that I should really do it in small bites as any problems that I would have probably wouldn't surface for a few weeks, when they would hit me full force. Ok, but I've never been known to do anything half measure.

So needless to say, I love running, and the idea of running has scared the crap out of me. The Richmond Marathon is coming up, and I'm entered. No, I'm not running it. I entered last year when I was running pretty good and was thinking grand things about qualifying for teh World Du Championships here, and running a 'thon again. Neither happened. Surgery happened. Watching everyone else running, and talking about running is killing me.

So at lunch I bit the bullet and went down to the RIVAH and slogged thru a run of about 2 miles. It was awful. I was taking itty bitty bike spin circle strides, my hip was locked, my knees were killing me and I was so slow that I didn't want anyone to see me. Joan Benoit has written that when she first started running when a car would go by she'd stop and start looking down like she was examining flowers or something. I was pretty close to that. God help me if anyone saw that performance.

So I'm committed now. If it doesn't work out I'll probably be committed. I hear the 7th floor at Tuckers is nice. 3 squares, lots of nice drugs, and people taking quietly to you... Until I have to check in, the plan is running at lunch time a few times a week. Maybe next year I'll either have my qualifier or be in a padded room!