So how do I balance ...

... the desire to train and improve despite the occasional discomfort associated with endurance training and the concern, or sometimes plain paranoia of injuring myself?

I remember David constantly saying, "Pain = bad."

My head knows that there will be an expected soreness ... My self competitiveness wants me to push despite the discomfort, after all it will go away won't it?  My fear or imagination kicks in and says, "Remember a few years ago?  You thought that would go away and you wound up on the bench for almost a year..."

So again I ask, how do I balance all this?

Today on what was supposed to be the longest run to date, Andrea and I were using a much slower paced strategy - ensuring we walked as much as possible up the hills, controlling our pace down the hills and making sure we used our walk breaks early in the run to ensure we still had energy at the end of the run. 

Problem 1 - I was wheezing all over the place again!  Why?!?!  My sinuses were clear, it wasn't too hot, there wasn't a nasty headwind ... why do I keep wheezing early in the runs?  This lasted for nearly 8k before it finally started to ease up.  It's really starting to drive me nuts.

Problem 2 - Somewhere around 10k I felt something in my right knee.  Not like a horrible pain, but something different than I'm used to.  We slowed to a walk, but that didn't seem to relieve the sensation ... then it got a little more tender.  Again, not what I would call bad pain, but it did hurt.  After a short rest we started to walk - it did alright.  We even managed to get in a few run segments and it wasn't too bad, but under greater stress of going up a very slight incline it hurt more.  We chose to break off the run at 12.75k

My paranoia won today.

There does seem to be a bit of pain during transitions from one activity to another ... from sitting to standing I can feel it, but once I'm up it's alright.  From standing to walking, the first couple steps twinge a bit but then subside.  From standing to sitting there is another twinge.

It's almost like there is one spot slightly to the medial aspect on the bottom of the patella that twinges.  If I could curl one finger just under the kneecap at about the 4:30 position (if you were looking at my knee from the front ... and I was wearing shorts ... and if this were the case I'd suggest you wear sunglasses because my legs are something beyond white) ... anyway, if I could do that I could touch the one spot that hurts.

Now at this point I'm desperately hoping somebody with medical knowledge steps forward and says, "It's nothing to worry about.  Just take some advil and you'll be alright."

And for the record I don't want to hear, "Get to the doctor."  "You better get it checked."  "Uh-oh, that could be bad." or anything else that implies that there may actually be a problem.

We'll see how it feels tomorrow :-(