Knee Knews

Pictured Center - Scott Jurek (the tall one who looks like a runner)

So on Saturday my knee gave out in the middle of a run. I was dressed for running, so the walk home was cold. Biking is not a problem. I still trained with Chris Ford on Sunday. He's working to place in the KS Half Marathon. Note: a 10 mile run is much easier when performed on a bike.

Today I get another hyaluronic acid injection to try to get the OA under control. I'm hoping to be back running (or at least jogging) by Thursday. I checked out the Nordic Track last night. Oddly, I can do that without too much pain. Biking, skiing; both ok. Running seems to be the issue.

Not much else to report other than Chris Ford's art opening was a blast - even if it did coincide with KU/Richmond. Check out his work (photographed by his lovely wife, Marisa) at www.urbanstump.com I am now the proud owner of one.

Until next week - catch the Sony Ericsson Open on the Tennis Channel. All of the top players are there looking really good. Djokovic is the one to watch. See you next week.

I Kneed Relief

I finally broke down and am paying an internet billionaire's ransom for a series of hyaluronic acid injections into my right knee. On the long run on Sunday, I suffered a sharp pain at one point - signifying that the slow progression of OA (osteo arthritis) had reached a new plateau.

So once a week for the next 3 weeks, I go in and have a shot in my knee. It kind of freaked me out yesterday when I went in for the first time. Seeing the needle come at my knee was slightly more than I could stand to watch.

Once complete, the treatment will last up to six months before I have to suck down another deductible and do it all over again.

For those interested in reading more about this, go here http://www.orthovisc.com/
The site looks pretty seriously geriatric. But between running and tennis I've been pretty hard on my joints. A little OA in one knee is a small price to pay (I hope).

Article Trail Runners Would Like

Here's something you can cut and past (or click on if I've posted it correctly). I found it after I'd already posted my weekly blog.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/born-to-be-a-trail-runner/?emc=eta1

R.A.T. (Running, Art, Tennis)

Ah, the weather has become delightful. Spring makes for some nice varied running in heat, cold, wind, sunshine, and storms. After a slew of short runs during the week, I popped a 6 miler on Saturday to shake off the cobwebs. It was a nice run that passed by quickly because I felt good and wanted to kick it a bit. I couldn't find my MP3 player and, for the first time in a long time on a solo run, I ran sans earphones. If I had been thinking, however, I would've cut the run a bit shorter and slowed down, because Chris Ford is training to place in the KS Half Marathon (no pressure when you read this, Chris), and on Sunday we went for a planned training run. The run covered all types of surfaces. I had planned a 10-ish mile jaunt that had sections on gravel, grass, asphalt and concrete.

I don't normally have tiredness issues, but after my run the day before, the Sunday run with Chris crept up and spanked me hard. I spent the rest of the day napping, watching tennis on the couch, and later, the Jayhawks making it to the round of 16.

While I'm talking about Chris, I should mention that he has an art show this coming Friday evening at the Hobbs Taylor lofts in Lawrence starting around 6pm. You can also see his work at www.urbanstump.com (a site that is still under construction but will give you an idea). The show is open to the public, so come on down.

And, while I'm talking about tennis, if you get a chance to catch the men's doubles finals from Indian Well, do it. I wax poetic, but it was possibly the greatest (and certainly most interesting) doubles match I've ever seen as Alexandr Dolgolopov and Xavier Malisse defeated Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer. On point in particular in the second set was unlike any I had ever seen. Dolgolopov, who first came to light in the Australian earlier in the year, proved he's for real, winning the first ATP title of his young career.

Running with Scott Jurek

So here's a sentence that I didn't think I'd ever write: Last Friday I was standing around talking with Scott Jurek when he invited me to go running on Saturday morning.

It is, in fact, true. Scott uses and endorses a product that one of my clients makes. The product is Udo's Oil ( www.oilthemachine.com ), and Scott was in Anaheim helping to promote the product at the Natural Products Expo West. I had stopped by my client's booth to say hello and was introduced to Scott. It really was quite a thrill to meet someone I had only read about who stands at the pinnacle of the sport I love.

As part of the promo, he set up a run with 20-30 guests for Saturday morning. So early on Saturday, I donned my shorts and sneakers and popped over to the convention center. There were about 20 other people all in running attire and, of course, Scott Jurek. I had always heard he was a nice guy, and he didn't disappoint. Before the run he hung out and spoke with everyone and even politely posed for pictures (which must get really old). During the 5K (ish) distance, he moved through the pack chatting and spending time with each runner. When the run was over, he offered to hang out and answer any questions the small group of us might have. I couldn't stay around for that because I had to run back to my hotel to shower and get ready for day 2 of the trade show.

But what a thrill! It was fantastic to get to spend real time engaging in conversation and running with one of Ultra-distance running's all-time greats.

I hope to have pictures next week.

New Trail

I found a new trail. Actually, it is not that new, just new to me. It is located in a wooded parcel that was donated to the city some years ago, and is now administered by the Kansas Land Trust. To get to it, you take 6th Street in Lawrence until you come to Folks Road. Head north on Folks about 1 mile and you'll find a gravel parking lot. The trail starts there and heads into a wooded area for between 1/2 and 3/4 mile. It is actually two trails; a white one that goes the full distance, and a blue one that interconnects and is about 1/3 the distance of the white.

I had run by this park so many times on one of my normal 3-4 mile loops that I almost blew it off the other day. But I had had a discussion about the trail with a neighbor the preceding week. We had commented on how no one ever seemed to have taken the trail. So, on Saturday as I was in the last mile of a short run I thought why not, and headed in. What I encountered was a really beautiful, well-maintained, hilly trail that offered thick brush, alternating with good views, lots of turns, and even a stream to cross. The whole experience added 12-14 minutes to my run, and was well worth the effort. And it is so close to my house that I can be there within 5 minutes. I plan to make the trail a regular addition to my shorter runs in the future.

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Season 6 of WEEDS is now out. If you're a fan, it has been worth the wait. If you're not, try watching the first episode of the show from season 1. You'll know pretty quickly if it is your cup of tea.

Finally, I watched the documentary, Which Way Home yesterday. I think it should be mandatory viewing for our kids, so they can see how lucky they are to be born here. The children in the documentary (some as young as 9) set off alone to travel over a thousand miles to get to the US. It almost defies comprehension. We should count ourselves lucky and, at the same time, show a lot of compassion to those not born here who struggle mightily to join us.