2016 Banff Half Marathon

Race Information

This was my second race, and I went in with way too much confidence, despite nursing a sore knee. Like my first race, I barely trained. My mindset was simple: "Running is easy, no big deal." Well, this race quickly showed me how wrong I was.

About halfway through, my knee pain escalated, and I found myself limping, feeling like Terry Fox on a bad day. To make matters worse, a speed walker passed me, which was a pretty harsh blow to my ego.

To add to the chaos, the course was altered last minute because of bear activity, which only added to the absurdity of the day.

By the end, I was convinced I’d never run again due to the state of my knee. But after the race, I decided to see a physiotherapist. My knee felt wrecked, and I was desperate for answers. The therapist did some acupuncture and gave me a few simple stretches (something I had never bothered with before). Since then, I’ve never had a knee problem again.

This race taught me the hard way how important stretching is. I ended up buying a foam roller, and ever since, I’ve been rolling out my skinny little legs.

P.S. - no photo and no race certificate.

Made with a new (slightly modified by me) race report generator created by /u/herumph.