The Knee Plays

Yesterday, one week away from the White Rock Half-Marathon, which I’m signed up to do, I decided to try out the Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve trails.  I’ve hiked there with family, and so I knew that the trails had bigger and steeper ups and downs than my usual trails.  But there are no bikers allowed, so hikers and runners rule the road there.  I had to check it out.

The run was, in places, strenuous, but it was a beautiful setting.  I was deep in thought about my almost-complete CD project.  No dwelling on missed opportunities, marketing, genre definitions.  I was just thinking about music–really, just feeling it without thought.  That’s the way to run.  And then, at about four miles, there was a sharp pain in my right knee.  I’ve had knee pains before that I was able to run through in just a few yards.  I couldn’t do any more running yesterday.  I walked back to the car, very concerned.

I consulted the book  Running Injury Free, which advised ice packs, quad exercises, and rest.  That’s what I did.  It feels better today, but I’m not going to try even a flat, paved run till at least tomorrow.

Other than sports health guides, I’m currently reading Lark & Termite, the first book I’ve read by Jayne Anne Phillips.  And the first book since The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao that I’ve read because the reviews made it sound so wonderful.  And Wao’s author Junot Diaz is one of three favorite authors (the other two are Alice Munro and Tim O’Brien) who give the book “advance praise” on the back dust jacket panel.

The book is indeed wonderful.

Lately listening to: Bob Dylan’s 2006 album Modern Times.  His follow-up is due out in April.  I can’t think of any other set of songs that is so repetitive and at the same time so engrossing.  Maybe Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, but that one’s an experiment in repetition.

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