The running has ceased for the moment, but I get cabin fever if I go too long without some sort of exercise. Yesterday and today I went walking with The Wife. The weather has been really nice the past couple of days, and it was nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air. Yesterday we went about 4 miles, and today was probably between 4.5-5.
Yesterday I could tell I was already feeling out of shape even though it hasn't been that long since I ran. When I start over again I'm going to have to take it easy. I want to be ready to run our traditional 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. I think I can make that.
My plan is to continue walking this week and then start running next week. The Knee is feeling a lot better although it's not 100% yet. I haven't felt any aches lately but it still gets that "don't hurt me" feeling when one of the kids jumps on me or I'm doing something outside. I've also been exercising regularly with ankle weights and doing the hip, hamstring, and knee exercises, and I think that's been paying off.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Done
This wasn't the easiest decision, but I'm done. As in dropping out the Memphis Marathon, not as in done forever. The Knee just hasn't improved to the point where I can keep running with the confidence that I can get the mileage I want. And throw in the raw spot on my right foot that is getting close to finally healing up and this past week has been a killer for my plans.
I've probably kept the hope alive longer than I should have, but just like a lot of other runners, I'm stubborn. And dropping out of a race I registered for is not in my DNA. But this is the right decision this time around.
I plan to spend the next week still staying off The Knee as far as running goes, and then running some very short distances to get back in the swing of things. Hopefully this down time will resolve the issue so that I can run a race early next year. More to come on that.
I've probably kept the hope alive longer than I should have, but just like a lot of other runners, I'm stubborn. And dropping out of a race I registered for is not in my DNA. But this is the right decision this time around.
I plan to spend the next week still staying off The Knee as far as running goes, and then running some very short distances to get back in the swing of things. Hopefully this down time will resolve the issue so that I can run a race early next year. More to come on that.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
One More Time
Today's run was not as good as I'd hoped it would be. I blistered up my right instep nicely on Saturday and it was still raw yesterday. I was also hoping the knee (or maybe I should start calling it The Knee) would be in top shape. Alas.
I stopped once walking down the street before starting to run and another time about a quarter mile in to take off my right shoe and adjust the insert. This was so that my foot didn't get scraped down to the bone. It helped and even though it's a tiny bit painful after getting home it's bearable. It would have been a lot worse if I hadn't stopped.
The Knee also bugged me. I thought it was doing much better, especially after that deal last Friday where it felt better after a big twinge. It felt irritated when I ran although I hadn't noticed any pain at work during the day. As I was running I was thinking, "One more time." As in if this continues and I have one more outing where it's not feeling right I'm going to pack it in for the season. Which I don't want to do.
Of course, I say that now. But in the back of my mind I'm thinking I should really start the run/walk method and see if that helps. I'm definitely considering it for this Saturday's run. If I make it there.
I stopped once walking down the street before starting to run and another time about a quarter mile in to take off my right shoe and adjust the insert. This was so that my foot didn't get scraped down to the bone. It helped and even though it's a tiny bit painful after getting home it's bearable. It would have been a lot worse if I hadn't stopped.
The Knee also bugged me. I thought it was doing much better, especially after that deal last Friday where it felt better after a big twinge. It felt irritated when I ran although I hadn't noticed any pain at work during the day. As I was running I was thinking, "One more time." As in if this continues and I have one more outing where it's not feeling right I'm going to pack it in for the season. Which I don't want to do.
Of course, I say that now. But in the back of my mind I'm thinking I should really start the run/walk method and see if that helps. I'm definitely considering it for this Saturday's run. If I make it there.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Still Going
Sometimes I stay up too late the night before a long run. This was one of those times. I was up late watching the Cardinals beat the Phillies and kept telling myself "it's 'only' 8 miles." Considering that my running has just started up again after the time off for my knee, I'd say 8 miles was not a trivial distance. And it wasn't it.
The weather was warmer than I expected - not hot, but certainly not autumnal. The knee felt decent and after I did some more exaggerated motions about 3-4 miles into it it seemed to loosen up. Right now, four hours and an OU beatdown of Texas later, it still feels okay.
The latest issue of Runner's World had a page about exercises to strengthen your hips. If the hips are stronger then that helps with knee issues. Yesterday I was doing my dumbbell exercises and thought, okay, one of the items they suggested was lunges. So I did a forward lunge between sets, and then tried a reverse lunge. At that point something twinged in my left knee and I thought about falling into the fetal position. It was one of those blinding flashes of pain. When I stood up, though, it actually felt better. I put it through the full range of motions and all of a sudden everything was fine. There was still a slight dull ache in one area that's obviously been over-irritated, but it hadn't felt that good in a couple of months.
I don't know what happened, but I wish it had happened sooner. Although I don't recommend it as a means of treatment, something popped back into place. I don't know that I'll keep doing lunges, but that one lunge unintentionally did the trick.
The weather was warmer than I expected - not hot, but certainly not autumnal. The knee felt decent and after I did some more exaggerated motions about 3-4 miles into it it seemed to loosen up. Right now, four hours and an OU beatdown of Texas later, it still feels okay.
The latest issue of Runner's World had a page about exercises to strengthen your hips. If the hips are stronger then that helps with knee issues. Yesterday I was doing my dumbbell exercises and thought, okay, one of the items they suggested was lunges. So I did a forward lunge between sets, and then tried a reverse lunge. At that point something twinged in my left knee and I thought about falling into the fetal position. It was one of those blinding flashes of pain. When I stood up, though, it actually felt better. I put it through the full range of motions and all of a sudden everything was fine. There was still a slight dull ache in one area that's obviously been over-irritated, but it hadn't felt that good in a couple of months.
I don't know what happened, but I wish it had happened sooner. Although I don't recommend it as a means of treatment, something popped back into place. I don't know that I'll keep doing lunges, but that one lunge unintentionally did the trick.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Holding Up
Today was the third run this week, and so far the knee is still holding up. I'm relieved. It actually hasn't felt this good in a long time. Even a couple of days ago I felt like I was one little tweak away from making it worse, but today it felt stronger than it has in ages. Each day seems like another test passed. When I can walk around at work and not notice any pain, well...that's progress.
This was another step in the road to recovery and toward Memphis. I ran 6 miles and felt pretty good. The knee was still somewhat achy during the run, but not as bad as Tuesday. I think the exercising, especially for my hips, and the shoe inserts have made a difference. I can now plan on going a little longer on Saturday and continuing the increase every weekend for the next six or seven weeks.
And also, I'm loving this 80-degree weather in October. Rock on.
This was another step in the road to recovery and toward Memphis. I ran 6 miles and felt pretty good. The knee was still somewhat achy during the run, but not as bad as Tuesday. I think the exercising, especially for my hips, and the shoe inserts have made a difference. I can now plan on going a little longer on Saturday and continuing the increase every weekend for the next six or seven weeks.
And also, I'm loving this 80-degree weather in October. Rock on.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Ballad of the Left Knee
Surprisingly, the knee felt great today. Three miles yesterday wasn't a killer, as I suspected it might be. Which leads us to today...
This being early October, I was a bit surprised at the temperature in the mid-80's. But I'll definitely take it. It sure beats the freezing cold, and that feeling shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
The knee actually felt worse while I was running, kind of the opposite from the way it's been in the past. I ran 4 miles on my route to building up to an 8-miler on the weekend, but I definitely felt a soreness in the knee. I tried to concentrate somewhat on my stride, but it just feels like something's out of kilter. Like there's an imbalance somewhere contributing to the problem.
The last mile I exaggerated my stride and kicked up my heels more than usual. I don't know if that was the right thing to do but it did feel like a better alignment at times in my forward motion. I probably looked like a complete idiot, but then that's normal when I run.
As always, the true outcome of the run won't be felt until tomorrow. In the meantime, I suppose I could write a song about my knee. A power ballad? That seems appropriate.
This being early October, I was a bit surprised at the temperature in the mid-80's. But I'll definitely take it. It sure beats the freezing cold, and that feeling shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
The knee actually felt worse while I was running, kind of the opposite from the way it's been in the past. I ran 4 miles on my route to building up to an 8-miler on the weekend, but I definitely felt a soreness in the knee. I tried to concentrate somewhat on my stride, but it just feels like something's out of kilter. Like there's an imbalance somewhere contributing to the problem.
The last mile I exaggerated my stride and kicked up my heels more than usual. I don't know if that was the right thing to do but it did feel like a better alignment at times in my forward motion. I probably looked like a complete idiot, but then that's normal when I run.
As always, the true outcome of the run won't be felt until tomorrow. In the meantime, I suppose I could write a song about my knee. A power ballad? That seems appropriate.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Trial Run
It's been over ten full days since I last ran. The knee is almost pain-free for the first time in weeks. And the race is drawing ever closer. Today was the day for a run to see if there's still hope for December.
Ten days off definitely makes a difference. I can only imagine how tough it would have been if I hadn't been walking a little. I ran only 3 miles today since I didn't want to push the limit too much.
The jury is out until tomorrow. If I'm judging by the run alone, I'm not too hopeful. I felt the ache a little while running but there were no sharp pains or anything that made me think I should stop. My pessimism comes from that dull ache that never really went away. Maybe I'm overreacting. I sure hope so.
If it feels okay tomorrow I'll go for a slightly longer run, maybe 4-5 miles so I can build up to an 8-mile run on Saturday. If it doesn't feel okay, well...it's going to be a long winter.
Ten days off definitely makes a difference. I can only imagine how tough it would have been if I hadn't been walking a little. I ran only 3 miles today since I didn't want to push the limit too much.
The jury is out until tomorrow. If I'm judging by the run alone, I'm not too hopeful. I felt the ache a little while running but there were no sharp pains or anything that made me think I should stop. My pessimism comes from that dull ache that never really went away. Maybe I'm overreacting. I sure hope so.
If it feels okay tomorrow I'll go for a slightly longer run, maybe 4-5 miles so I can build up to an 8-mile run on Saturday. If it doesn't feel okay, well...it's going to be a long winter.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
See Randy Walk
The walking continues. Thursday night I took Daughter #1 with me for a 4-mile walk, and this morning Daughter #2 accompanied me for a 4.5-mile jaunt. The knee is definitely feeling better. I'm encouraged enough to think that I'm planning on a slow, easy run on Monday evening with The Wife, maybe about 3 or 4 miles. It's been enjoyable walking with my kids, but I still prefer running. It just takes too darn long to cover the distance I'm used to running!
At this point it's exactly nine weeks to the Memphis race. And at this point I don't know how I'm going to make it. If I do it's going to be tight and I certainly won't be going for a PR. If ever I was going to do the run/walk method this would be the year. Let's see how things go Monday and we'll plan from there.
At this point it's exactly nine weeks to the Memphis race. And at this point I don't know how I'm going to make it. If I do it's going to be tight and I certainly won't be going for a PR. If ever I was going to do the run/walk method this would be the year. Let's see how things go Monday and we'll plan from there.
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