Wednesday, 12:15 p.m., 44 degrees, chilly, gray. Seneca, two Union loops, 4 1/4 miles.

Thursday, 8:30 a.m., 40 degrees, chilly, gray. Seneca, one Union loop, 5k.

Phew. OK, this is it.

First, some business to take care of. I got a phone message from T-Mac over at Pinhead Susan's, and they're worried that I gave the impression that they're not going to be open on Sunday, when I offered to buy beers for volunteer course marshals at Pinhead's on Monday. I never actually wrote that in my column, I said I wouldn't be able to get there until Monday (because I expect to be working at least until 10 p.m. Sunday night after the race). So for anyone who was misled to believe that Pinhead's isn't open on Sunday: BELLY UP, BECAUSE THEY ARE, IN FACT, OPEN.

I wish I could say I'm going into Sunday's race without any doubts, but I can't, because something twanged in the back of my left knee Thursday night in the same spot that I've had issues before, and it's still bothering me a little bit at 8 Saturday night. The bad news is it's there; the good news is it doesn't bother me when I run, and I know this because it's pretty much what I felt when I was on vacation, and I ran through it. It only bothers me when I walk, with my left leg locked straight. If I take short steps and keep my knee slightly flexed at all times (I'm learning to do this without thinking about it), everything's fine. It's when I try to walk with a full stride and reach out with my right foot that my left knee feels like there's something in the back that doesn't feel like doing its job anymore. When I first felt this on Thursday, I was walking in a straight line on flat ground. Weird. So I tried to stay off my feet as much as possible today.

Got my bib number: 1297. It promises to be a beautiful day, and although race director Vince Juliano told me at the Healthy Living Expo that they'll approach 1,400 entries, like they did last year, they won't go much past that, and that's fine. It's a big, but manageable, field.

I wasn't able to reach defending men's champion Emory Mort until Saturday, so I couldn't get his voice into the race handicapping story, but here's some of what he told me:

"Well, I think I'm in the best 15k shape of my life. I've trained well, and mentally I'm very ready. I was in shape to be in the 46's last year, not for this race, but in the late winter and early spring. Unfortunately, I got injured before the Gate River Run. I've had a little problem with my hamstring this week, but I'm hoping with the adrenaline of the race, it won't be a problem."

Emory said he's aware that Fernando Cabada and Jordan Davis are in the field, but he's not ready to concede a victory to them. "Cabada is more of a distance guy, and Davis is more of a track guy. I know both are very aggressive, and I'm not. I don't run well when I force things. So if they take it out hard at the start, I'll let them go."

So Emory will run his pace, and if Cabada and Davis fall apart late, he plans to be there to pick up the pieces. He's using the Stockade-athon as a steppingstone for his debut marathon, in Philadelphia.

My Wednesday and Thursday workouts were aimed at breaking in the new shoes I bought at Fleet Feet Albany on Wednesday. The shoes are great; my knee isn't. I'm starting to second-guess myself for doing Union loops, especially the downhills. I should've just stayed on the flat bikepath. The only cause I can come up with for the knee thing is that I strained it slamming down that hill in those beautiful, grippy shoes. Any thoughts of getting in a little jog on Friday went out the window, and that wouldn't have been a good idea anyway, based on my work schedule. I spent five hours on my feet stiff and cold as a cadaver at Saratoga Spa State Park covering the cross country sectionals. Saw some great, inspiring racing, though.

That's it for now. Like I said, it's going to be a beautiful day on Sunday, and I hope to see you all out there, whether you're running or not. Except for this stupid knee thing, I am ready to rock.