Funny how one day you wonder if you should do something and then less than 12 hours later you get the answer. I will NOT be doing 2 races on the weekend of the Carlsbad Half. Hell, I'll be real lucky to make the starting line of the Half! More on that to come.

Big Baz Trail Race today in the mtns above Lake Elsinore. Perfect weather for running. About 53 when I got there and 59 when I left. Anyways, we got lined up and took off up the paved road to the start of the trails. For the most part the first 3.5 miles were downhill. Maintained a really good pace thru 3.5 miles, right at a 9:20 pace. Feeling really good at this point and then WHAM BAM not even a thank you ma'am and all of a sudden I stepped wrong on a rock and wrenched my ankle like a motherf--k! It was a grinding, ripping feeling and sound that went thru my entire body! I left my medical degree home today (I usually carry it with me) but I knew right away this wasn't a good thing! So i figured I could walk over 4 miles back in or just continue running. Well, I ran and it didn't feel TOO bad. So I plodded along and it became somewhat harder planting my foot on rocks or uneven ground without it giving away a little bit. I ended up stumbling 3 times that I'll admit to...Not a surprise to some people who realize I have trouble staying on my feet. 1 time took quite a hit on my hand and it was cut and bloody but it turned out to be pretty much a nothing of a cut. But I can be a big baby sometimes and thought immediately of being rescued by helicopter! That thought passed like a bad bean burrito and I picked myself up and did my best Pee Wee Herman, I meant to do that, to whoever was around.
Then we had a nice steep downhill stretch and then the last 2miles or so were all a steady up hill climb. Once off the trail towards the finish, sprinted all the way in and finished in 1:27 something for a 10:36 avg pace for a 52nd place finish out of 160 runners. Not bad for a hobbling, stumbling and falling my way thru the trails.

Took off immediately because I knew my ankle would only get worse as it tighted and swelled past any normal intended size. Made a frantic call to my personal nurse and YES she was available! Once back in SD I got an ice pack, cuts cleaned (which now look really small and kind of feel embarrassed to make a big deal of them). But my hand DOES hurt! So there...

So 2010 starts this way. Can only get better and better... So now I have put running the Carlsbad Half in jeopardy. But I have a feeling *I will be there no matter what