I have been such a good little marathon trainer. I have balanced the need for mileage with the need for my knee to get adequate rest. I only ran once last week - under 4 miles, thereby giving my legs a break. Also, as part of my Loser weight loss group challenge, I spent at least 15 minutes a day stretching last week - and I never stretch! My last long run of 14 miles (2 weeks ago) went really well - no knee pain. So I thought for sure my 16 mile run today would be a piece of cake.
Oh, how wrong I was (again).
I got out of bed at 5:30 am and took my time getting ready for my run. My running buddy Margaret was MIA, so I was on my own for the whole run. Sad! I had a teeny tiny breakfast of peanut butter and chololate chips and water. I grabbed one of the dogs and went out for my first 5.5 mile loop at exactly 6 am. It looked to be a hot day, but the temperature early in the morning wasn't so bad. In addition to the above-mentioned knee-sparing strategies, I also walked for a minute about every mile - I read last wek in Runner's World magazine that intermittent walking can stave off injuries. However, it hurt my time, but I am going for distance right now, not speed. The first loop went pretty well and I stopped off at home to change dogs, get water, and take a couple of Shot Blox energy squares. My entire family was still sleeping.
My knee started to twinge at about mile 8, and I had to walk at mile 9. Dammit! %^*&#$! I walk/ran the rest of the loop and ended my morning at 10.5 miles, in 2 hours. Even a continuous loop of Hannah Montana's "The Climb" couldn't inspire my knee to not hurt.
Why? Why? Why does my knee feel ok after 14 miles one week, but hurts at 9 miles two weeks later? What am I doing wrong? Did I baby it too much? Not enough? I have seen enough specialists to know that the answer will never be clear. So I just need to try again in a week and hope for the best.
Sad how I can get depressed about running over 10 miles. Many people would be ecstatic. It's all a matter of perspective, I guess.
I feel like I only have one marathon in me (yeah, for life), and I really want it to be this year, so I can get it over with and not have to think about it anymore. I want to move on! Please!
Funny how we can't recover from an injury by sheer willpower. Any more than we can recover from any illness, I guess.
On a (somewhat) related note, I am giving a sermon at our church in a couple of weeks about pain; sort of expanding on a blog entry from a month ago. I plan to discuss how people live with, or even recover from, chornic pain - especially using non-traditional medicine or spirituality-related methods (even prayer). If you have any experience with this and would be willing to share your story, please contact me. I won't use your name in the sermon.
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