My knee!
My evil, wonderful knee has decided to finally malfunction. It was only a matter of time until the combination of some excess weight and increased training took its toll on one of my joints.
So here's the dish: I ran on Sunday, just a 5k (non-runners commence eye rolling), and my knee was aching but I thought nothing of it since it went away after 1.5 miles. When I got home I was extremely thirsty and had my post run snack. I sat down to make sure my mileage logged correctly to RunKeeper (my favorite app to track my mileage!) as always.
When I went to stand up, my knee was completely locked up and I couldn't stand up! I just tried to straighten my knee, and it felt like my patella (aka: knee cap) was going to pop off accompanied by some intense pain. Thankfully my husband was home to get me some frozen peas and Aleve to help relieve the swelling. I knew what my mom went through since she had some intense arthritis in her knees so I knew something was swollen and that's why I couldn't straighten my leg.
After some ice and time, I was able to stand up and waddle my way to the shower since I looked and smelled like a swamp monster. The rest of the day was filled with R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation).
At first, I was devastated. I blamed myself, my weight, and was certain that there was no way I was going to do this marathon. I journaled a bit and finally came into an acceptance of things. Yes, I was hurt. Yes, there is a possibility that I will not be able to run the marathon. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I decided to take care of myself and learn all about my injury and how to prevent it. Tomorrow, I start specific strength moves aimed at strengthening the muscles in my quadriceps and around my knee coupled with yoga and stretching to increase flexibility.
I may be down but I am not out!
