Last Summer Goal Met

I don't usually do two of these in a weekend, so if you haven't read Count Your Blessings, scroll down and read that first so that this one will make more sense to you.
First, let me say, "I love you Marcia. Happy Birthday." and "Don't look at me like that, this was an accident, sort of." I know you don't quite understand why I keep torturing myself on the killer trail. I think it was the bloody shoe incident that had you worried. The falling and knee thing hasn't helped you stay on board with this goal either. Let me explain why this was such a big goal for me. This whole saga started partly because I was out of shape and having to be naked in front of lots of doctors and partly because I was feeling old. Having cataracts and bifocals sent me over the edge. I wanted to be able to jog half of what I used to run on a daily basis when I was half my age. I used to run 10 miles and swim a mile five days a week. The killer trail is 5 miles half of what I used to run...I just wanted to jog it from begining to end. Just before the crash and burn I did run 5 miles but I just ran the flatter half up and back.
I know that the doc banned me from jogging and wanted me to walk, but honestly, walking really does hurt my knee worse than jogging. It only doesn't work sometimes when stepping down hills and steps, so I was really careful to not bend it all the way and sort of skip down the hills. I wore a brace!
I was only going to jog to the mile marker and back twice for a grand total of 4 miles. I ran 4 miles on pavement yesterday. I thought this would be easier on my knee. The first mile of the killer trail is fairly flat and made of dirt and sand.
Well...when I got to the mile marker I didn't think I was up to jogging 4 miles. So I decided that I would jog to the 1.5 mile marker and back for 3 miles.
When I got to the 1.5 mile marker, I changed my mind and wanted to run 4 miles after all, so I decided to run to the 2 mile marker and back.
When I got to the 2 mile marker I thought that I wasn't up to a 4 mile jog, but if I was going to walk part of the way it may as well be the hilly part. I decided to jog to the 3 mile marker.
When I got to the 3 mi marker, I still had energy, so I decided to jog a little further because it was still fairly flat. There was only two steep hills before the 3.5 mi marker. But when I got to that marker the insane me took over. It said to me, "This might be your only chance to jog this trail. Who knows how the MRI is going to go this week? If the doctor is right and you do need knee surgery, you will probably never be able to jog this trail again. You don't have the guts to work your way back into shape from knee surgery." So the sane me said, "What if I hurt my knee worse? I had to use a cane for a couple of days less than two weeks ago. I'm using arthritis meds to be able to get around without limping. What if the doctor jogs or walks and sees me out here. I will not be able to explain this. What kind of look will Marcia give me if I have to explain being on crutches Monday? Tell you what. We'll be careful through the hills. I can't hurt my knee that much more than I already have, but if I feel real pain I'll walk. I've already jogged more of the trail than I have in years. I win. Besides, there is only 1.5 miles left. I don't even bother jogging if I only have time to jog a mile. It's not worth the sweat and the shower."
So, I kept going and going and going. I felt so good when I finished the killer trail that I even jogged to my car. I did it!!!! I'm doing the happy dance!!!! I just know that Marcia is going to wonder how someone so smart can be so stupid. She's not going to say it out loud, but she'll give me that look. That look says it all. :( My knee is sore, but not any more sore than the day I saw the doc and she twisted it all around and then I saw Marcella. Actually, my butt is almost as sore as my knee because it was still sore from the session with Marcella before I started jogging. That was my last summer goal and it's less than a month late in coming. :) If things go well with the knee, I do want to do 5 k's with Marcela. My goal before next summer is to get my 5 k down to 30 minutes. Do you want to join me for that ride? (Marcia, I swear that I will NOT go near the killer trail again until my doc ok's it. I now know that insane me has more power than sensible me. I really don't want to hurt myself. However, I am a rebel. People should know better than to tell me that I can't do things. I love you Marcia. Thanks for loving me enough to disapprove. Happy Birthday.)