Gotta Love Cloud Cover and 75 degrees!!!

I woke up this morning at 4:30am and laced up the shoes, rubbed vaseline on all of the strategic points and was very very excited when my car thermostat said only 75 degrees!!! Woo Hoo!!!! Seriously, Woo Hoo!!!! Well, I am preparing for my long run this Friday. 18 miles!!! Don't know if I will make it though. After my 16 miler 1 1/2 weeks ago the left side of my knee has not really been the same. I went to the doc (who is a ironman,triathlete etc. and gives me really awesome advice and doesn't tell me that I am too fat and old to be doing this again). He told me that it is really not my knee but my quad that attatches to my fibula (I think that is what he called it) he also told me to run until it starts to hurt, give it another 1/2 mile and if it doesn't go away, stop. He knows how paranoid I am about finishing so he reassured me that the long runs are really for confidence and I am in great shape (at least that is what he tells me~my chubby body speaks differently) now so we just need to keep that level of fitness. And because I finished last year, I already should have the confidence that I can do this. So he said to not run more than 8 miles unless it is not hurting at all. I ran 8 miles this morning and it felt great so I was really excited. Problem.....tonight, my calf on that same leg is having spasms so we'll see what Friday brings. I just need to be smart at this point. Next week only 14 then the following week is my 20 miler, then it is all down hill from there. Ok, this is really BORING~~~But at this point it really does affect most of my week even on my days off because I am then trying to heal my tired old bones from all that pounding. Hailey is still running and I am sooooo proud of her. For all of you that think that you couldn't do this, Hailey had only run more than two miles a few times before she started training a few months ago and she is now up to 20 miles this Saturday. Go Hal