Cue the world's tiniest violin
Anyone mind if I whine a little bit?
Confused Reader: As opposed to… What?
Naomi: You know… Whatever I normally do in this blog.
CR: ….
Naomi: Oh. Right. Well, shall I carry on then?
CR: Please.
So, yeah, whining.
I’m super frustrated with my damn knee and how I can’t run. Right now is supposed to be the honeymoon of this here marathon. I’ve made the commitment and I’m deliriously happy and all (well, delirious, anyway), and it’s too soon for the really unbelievably, what the hell did I sign up for, long, painful runs, and besides which, the weather is freaking beautiful.
I just want to be able to follow my schedule, and run the distances that I so painstakingly highlighted on the calendar. Today, February 10: 4 miles. Piece of cake.
Except that my knee STILL hurts from Sunday when I ran a mere three miles (on very flat terrain). And the Life-Altering Orthotics (of doom)™ won’t get here until Tuesday, so I can only imagine that more running will make the knee less happy. And since this is only the beginning of this training, I figure I should probably let myself heal, so that two months from now I’m not having surgery. Thus I didn’t go to the gym at all today, even for non-knee-pain-causing activity, because I tried that for the past two days, and I can only assume that’s why my knee still hurts.
The worst part is that it really doesn’t hurt that badly. So I could totally handle a workout, if only I didn’t know that it would inevitably lead to further pain.
And the really worst part is that Saturday is our group run—our first real group run, since last week’s run around the track barely counted. But there’s a choice between running 5 miles and running 3, and I totally wanted to run 5 (all the cool kids will be running 5 miles) but instead I’ll just run 3 to spare my knee.
Lame.
And I told you this entry would be whiny.
Confused Reader: As opposed to… What?
Naomi: You know… Whatever I normally do in this blog.
CR: ….
Naomi: Oh. Right. Well, shall I carry on then?
CR: Please.
So, yeah, whining.
I’m super frustrated with my damn knee and how I can’t run. Right now is supposed to be the honeymoon of this here marathon. I’ve made the commitment and I’m deliriously happy and all (well, delirious, anyway), and it’s too soon for the really unbelievably, what the hell did I sign up for, long, painful runs, and besides which, the weather is freaking beautiful.
I just want to be able to follow my schedule, and run the distances that I so painstakingly highlighted on the calendar. Today, February 10: 4 miles. Piece of cake.
Except that my knee STILL hurts from Sunday when I ran a mere three miles (on very flat terrain). And the Life-Altering Orthotics (of doom)™ won’t get here until Tuesday, so I can only imagine that more running will make the knee less happy. And since this is only the beginning of this training, I figure I should probably let myself heal, so that two months from now I’m not having surgery. Thus I didn’t go to the gym at all today, even for non-knee-pain-causing activity, because I tried that for the past two days, and I can only assume that’s why my knee still hurts.
The worst part is that it really doesn’t hurt that badly. So I could totally handle a workout, if only I didn’t know that it would inevitably lead to further pain.
And the really worst part is that Saturday is our group run—our first real group run, since last week’s run around the track barely counted. But there’s a choice between running 5 miles and running 3, and I totally wanted to run 5 (all the cool kids will be running 5 miles) but instead I’ll just run 3 to spare my knee.
Lame.
And I told you this entry would be whiny.
posted by Noames at 9:54 PM
4 Comments:
If I understand the circumstances, you weren't complaining about any knee trouble until after that hilly loop run. Oooh; those hills will hurt anything, especially a pretty young knee like yours. Try flat for awhile. Less stress.
For a runner, there's nothing more scary or discouraging than in injury. Take care of yourself, good luck!
Injuries suck. But take heart. Most runners have experienced an injury at one point or another. You are fortunate to have caught some important issues early on so that you can avoid a truly devastating injury later. Some unsolicited tips:
- I agree with David's comment. Build up to the hills slowly.
- Running downhill can be harder on the knees and legs than running uphill, so consider walking those portions early in training.
- You have to learn to alter your stride running up and down hills. Look online or get some tips from experienced runners.
- Try not to run on a crowned road. They are hard on the knees. If the road is crowned then alternate the sides of the roads you run on.
- Try more than one shoe brand and/or model. Normally shoes are returnable if they remain indoors so you can wear each pair in the house for a little while to really get the feel of their characteristics. Keep in mind that even the same model from the same brand can vary from year to year (I miss my 2001 Brooks Beasts).
- Pay attention to your foot placement and stride. The best shoe in the world can't protect you from poor running technique.
- Ask many people for tips on foot placement and stride and you'll get many different answers (e.g., heel strike first then roll onto foot, midfoot strike no rolling, forefoot strike no rolling). But ask away and then figure out what works for you. For example, personally, I don't like the heel strike technique but many people swear by it.
- If you are injured, don't stop. If you can't run fast, run slow. If you can't run slow, do the ellipical or rowing machine or some alternate activity. If you can't row or do elliptical or whatever then walk quickly. If you can't walk fast then walk slow. If you can't walk then do jogging in the pool. Just do whatever it takes to stay active, especially with regard to cardiovascular load.
You'll be able to work through this!
Hey, try ice and Advil.
Icepack your knees every day after work and// or working out.
Also advil for pain and swelling.
Your blog has been one of the best I have read. I sat down tonight in Colorado and read every post.
And laughed my ass off.
HOpe you are feeling better.
Keep posting, regardless and let us know.
Ann in Colorado
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