Stupid Freaking Knee

With less than three weeks between now and the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride) I've been side-lined. I've had bad knees since I was a teenager, and when I was at University I finally learned how to deal with them. As I've gotten older I've learned to pay attention to the warning signs and slow down when I think I'm going to have a problem.

Until last week.

I woke up Wednesday morning and my knees were feeling a little off. As I laid in bed I thought, "Oh no, this could be bad. I'll ride in anyway and see." And hopped on my bike and off I went. By the time I got to work I could hardly walk. Honestly, I don't know why I question myself.

Fast forward a week. I haven't been on the bike since Wednesday evening and if I don't do 50 miles this weekend, I'm sitting it out. I don't trust myself enough to listen to my body when I'm on that ride. I'll need to finish, even at the risk of long-lasting damage. I'm disappointed, but I'm afraid I'll do something dumb. Better, as they say, to build a fence around temptation to keep it out than to see how close you can get.