Thank you for your words and encouragement in the comments of my last post. My knee is feeling better this week but not 100%. The pain has greatly subsided since my last post and I can walk up and down stairs normally again. I have an appointment on Monday with an orthopedist and am so hoping that there is some good news out of it. I've stopped Googling meniscal tears as they only lead me to believe that I will need surgery and will not be running NYC next month.
It's been hard this week to not run. It's been hard to go to practice and watch my kids do workouts knowing that I'm stuck there taking their splits rather than joining them.
It was hard to walk back from my car today, feeling the 89 degree warmth that this October day brought, and knowing that I can't go on my normally much-anticipated Friday run. I love running in the fall and I always look forward to Friday runs. For me, they far surpass any happy hour and are the perfect way to end a workweek.
This afternoon I noticed the trees and the grass that are drying up due to the lack of rain and the oncoming cooler weather that awaits us. The shorter days means the leaves are finally changing their colors even though I still sit here in shorts in a tank top. There is nothing more that I want to do than to run right now before the winter air comes.
My body and mind are ready to run. I crave to get back into nature and to feel the wind on my face and my feet flying over the leaves.
But that has to wait.
Every day I battle with myself: What if I don't have a tear. What if I'm making my knee worse by not doing anything with it? What if I just try to run for 5 minutes?
But - what if I try to run and the first step I take brings back the pain from Saturday and I've set myself back a week?
I'm constantly reminding myself of my goal. Monday is only three days away. I can and should be able to wait that long to find out if I can run or if I have something more serious. Usually I am confident that I can wait. And then 5 runners go by me on the walk to my car. It sucks to live in such a healthy city. Everyone is out there running.
Sometimes we don't take for granted what we have until it is taken away. I like to think that this year has fully taught my to appreciate what I have. I knew each day that I went running that I would not be doing it some day. If you're complaining about having to run or to workout, remind yourself of the good things it brings you. What would you do if the ability to do it was taken away?
It's definitely something we take for granted- we complain about workouts sometimes yet there are people who will never even be able to run 2 feet. When I broke my foot last year I did a lot of thinking (seeing as I wasn't doing the running) and it definitely made me see how much I take my freedoms and abilities for granted.
ReplyDeleteHoping for good news from the doc, my fingers are crossed! Keep your chin up, as hard as it is to watch, your kids on the team are incredibly lucky to have someone like you a their coach!
Thank you Laura for all of your positive support. It really is a bummer to be injured and you have been doing AWESOME since you've come back.
DeleteI learned when I was injured and couldn't run to really appreciate the sport. I go into workouts now not dreaded them like I used to sometimes. I really hope that you don't have a tear so that you can resume your normal running. Not being able to run AND seeing EVERYONE out running just plain sucks.
ReplyDeleteAhh yes, that is so frustrating! I love having a ton of runner friends and living in such a fit city when I'm in shape, but I do get sad to see them when I'm injured. You are doing great with your training, especially with the little Bean! I'm so impressed :)
DeleteHi Dani! I'm totally sending white light to your knee now and I hope that it's not a tear and that it heals fast. I went to my DO (osteopath) the other day because my hip flexors and back was out of whack. It was amazing how many other symptoms I had just due to those areas being off. When one part of your body is out of whack then it leads to other areas hurting or being off.
ReplyDeleteMy trainer was telling me to stretch more after each run and workout as I totally wasn't doing that at all. She also showed me some great stretches that I could do to get my knee back into running shape. I use to run 21 miles a week and had to stop a few years ago due to my knee, but I'm slowing getting back to running once a week on top of my workouts and it feels amazing. There is nothing like running, and I get how you're feeling by not running. I can't run on pavement anymore, but that's ok because we have some amazing trails here. Have you tried to run on trails?
Here's the link to my trainer's website. She is going to start uploading videos soon on stretching etc. She is also a huge runner and she might have tips for you, so feel free to shoot her an email. She had some knee problems but she got this device or did some sort of stretch and it healed. She's super personable and the sweetest gal. I could actually see you both hanging out! http://www.pilotfitness.com/index.html
xoxo, Jackie
Thanks Jackie! The doc said it's not a tear and that was probably the best news I could have asked for. Thank you for the link to the trainer's site. I love her section on foam rolling already. I really hope that these work for you so you can be out there running more each week. And you're right, it's fascinating how one problem can cause many problems, so it's good to be working with a pro. Thank you for the info on the stretching!!
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