I didn't realize it had been so long since I've written here.

Things had been going very well. I was running more & getting steadily stronger, consistently averaging 13 mins. per mile & was feeling great. Wednesday night we had a little Fall season holiday reunion. About a dozen of us met after work & ran through River Oaks to look at all the Christmas lights. I was a bit worried I'd end up alone because I'm so slow, but I was actually able to keep up with a few of the folks. We had a great short run, then drove to the top of the parking garage we trained in all season long for a little party. A big cold front had come through that afternoon so it really made it feel like the holidays. We had hot chocolate, wine, plenty of snacks & lots of good conversation & laughs. It was just what I needed.

Then Thursday happened.

I'd had a long day at work & was extremely tired by the time I got home. I really didn't want to run, but I convinced myself that I needed to, no matter how tired I was.

Big mistake.

About a mile & a half into my run, as I was crossing the street, I came upon a bump in the road. Only thing is I couldn't really see that bump because it was so friggin' dark outside. My right heel caught the bump in mid-stride. It was like it was all happening in slow motion. I tried to get my other leg out to try to keep running & steady myself, but it was no use. I was going down & I was going down HARD. I stuck out my arms to try to break the fall but it just scraped up my arm instead. My right knee smashed into the road & the rest of my body followed. I was sprawled out in the middle of the road with a car coming. I didn't know if they saw me, so I quickly jumped up & moved to the sidewalk. I could feel my knee & ankle begining to swell almost immediately. Of course I didn't have my phone with me so I had to walk (well... hobble) over a mile home. The knee popped with every step & if I tried to bend it even a little bit, it was excruciating. By the time I got home, my knee was already twice its normal size. The pain was terrible. I sat on the couch for a good 4 hours icing & elevating it.
By the time I went to bed, it felt better & I thought maybe the damage wasn't as bad as originally suspected. Then, around 2:00 am I woke up to change positions. I guess I'd forgotten about my knee & as I tried to move in my bed, I bent my knee. I screamed in agony. OMG it hurt SO f'ing much. I actually began to whimper & cry because it hurt so much. I got up, hobbled to the kitchen, took 4 more Ibuprofen, wrapped another ice pack around my knee & hobbled back to bed. I ended up calling in sick that morning because I just couldn't walk very well at all & figured it would be best for me to stay off the leg for a day & just ice it.

Thankfully today it is all much better. The swelling has gone down significantly & I can now bend & move my leg without wincing in pain. I have a lovely bruise forming around the entire knee, going down to my shin, & I still can't bend it all the way, but I don't think I did any serious damage. I'm pretty sure it's just really badly bruised. Thank goodness! Still, I won't be able to run for what I'm guessing will be at least the rest of this week & that is driving me crazy. The Houston 1/2 Marathon is only 3 weeks away & I need to be back out there training. If I can't work out, I think I'll go crazy. I keep thinking back to what it was like last year after my back injury & I vowed I'd never be in that position again. Then I go & do something like this. Hopefully I'll be a fast healer & be back out there in a few days. *crosses fingers*