My Online Return...

I've neglected by blog for about 6 months....this past winter I was in physical therapy for knee/ankle problems and I just didn't feel interested in anything running related. Afterall, it's just downright depressing to be hurt when you are a runner. The last thing I felt like doing was writing about my ongoing problems. All I wanted to do was heal and get back on the trail. I had to withdraw from the Brazil 135, which cost me thousands.

It turned out my symptoms were in my knees, but my problem was inflexibility. I spent months stretching out years of inflexibility in my quads. That released the tension in my knees and I've been pain-free since then. For a while, I felt like I was in a pinball machine, bouncing between bumpers...every medical "authority" had a different opinion. The most poignant conversation took place between myself and a nurse practitioner in my doctor's office. She "diagnosed" me with "Deterioration Disc Disorder" and told me I would never run again. She said, "Oh well...you can still ride the stationary bike at the gym. You know, running 2 miles is the same as 10."

(Although still in some pain, I ran a celebratory 15 miler the next day.)

I wish to proclaim that I'm feeling great again and back on the trail. My injury prone winter months are not anything I wish to talk about....

I want my blog to stay active because, after next month (June, 2008), I will not see my California running friends as often as I do now.

Enjoy every step.

-Jerry