Western DNS

So, as my friends who read this already must know, I was a saddened DNS for Western States. Outside of the persistent lower back injury, I felt totally ready. However, as one friend put it, discretion is the greater part of valor, or however that saying goes.

For this record, the injury was incurred five weeks ago at the Jemez 50 Miler in New Mexico, likely as icannonballed down a ski slope at 10k, trying (successfully) to make a cutoff on a bad day on a tough course. I expected I'd recover, but there seems to be a major realignment type strain from the lower back, through the gluteal, to the hamstring. For three weeks, there was significant numbness and lack of feeling in my right foot, suggesting nerve damage. I saw the doctor, the chiro three times, and went for massage. I tried to get ready.

But then I did little test runs all the way up until the race, and significant pain was always immediately recognizable. The pain intensified in my lower back, so that after a mile or so I'd end up running cockeyed, leaning back or forwards and jogging off the calves, with a lump like pain growing in the glute and heat pain in the lower back. It just didn't work. If I could've knocked out a semi-pain free 10 miler, I probably would've started. Not to be.

I am content with the decision--it was the right call in pursuing the healthy life. It does suck, but there are worse things, and back surgeries are serious business.

So, i made a weekend of it just the same, checking out Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, and the race. A good decision. I hung with friends, and the race is exciting to take part in as crew, or just as a fly on the wall. I crewed for friend Charlie and friend Rich, and Charlie did absolutely textbook terrific, probably even exceeding his expectations, or so it would seem from his pre-race chatter.

Thanks to my awesome crew of Rich, Linda, Tanya, Mike, and BJ. I feel like everybody adjusted to my circumstances phenomenally, and the support during the period before Western was filled with care and understanding. Congrats too to all my friends who got down their and participated, either as runners, pacers or crew. Washington State did very well.

I'll get some pictures up soon enough--I've posted them on FB already, but am now on a second. trip, this time to the east coast for business and family. This post in fact is brought to you from the "friendly" skies ($6 for the fruit plate--how friendly is that?) on my new Ipad. Tech is something else--happy to be on the ride.

I'm leaving things open for now--the mountains will be there. I am registered for Waldo and Cutthroat, so I suppose those are good goals to hope for.