Friday, October 1, 2010

The next step

HAPPY OCTOBER!!

This morning my mom and I drove down the the track so I could run on a flat surface to try and test out the knee...again. In my head I kept telling myself, what is the worst that could happen? If your knee hurts then you take more days off. Well taking days off really makes me cranky and grumpy.

So I ran a few laps for warm up and then decided to tempo run the straight-aways and jog the curves. The pain started in my knee just as I got to about 3 miles and I knew I had to stop. The pain comes on slowly and then becomes worse as I continue. It is no fun to run with knee pain.

I am debating what to do - Should I call and get an appointment with my orthopedic OR rest all next week, doing only easy cross training OR do both?? I guess resting is the best option and who knows when I will actually get an appointment in to see the doctor.

Looking back on all this, I still feel like a rookie runner. Sure I have been running for years but it was always just to train for basketball, soccer or track. This is the first time I have run for a full year. I feel like I am still learning how to train the best for my body and how to not get hurt.

It is frustrating and disappointing to not run but I know that if I take the time off now I hopefully will be able to come back and finish out the year running. And I know that the coach through my running group will definitely help me to work back up to higher mileages and help me to stay injury free!

Hope everyone has some awesome runs this weekend! Happy Friday!

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think your right about not knowing when you'll be able to see a doctor but i say make the appointment now and also rest now. because if it doesn't get better then you don't want to have to wait any longer than you have too.

Kim said...

I agree with marathonmaiden... make an appointment but rest for now and cancel the appointment if you need to. Maybe, just maybe, it will go away on its own! :)

I hear ya about feeling like a rookie runner. When you love running so much and you get an injury like this, it really messes with your head and you don't know what to do or how to handle it!

Anonymous said...

When I was truly a rookie runner (I had been running for about 3-4 months) I developed an intense knee pain that turned out to be caused by the tightness in my IT band. Could it have anything to do with that? A foam roller saved me :)

I agree with the others, rest up and wait for the doc! I hear ya on getting grumpy and frustrated. You won't lose your running abilities/talent from letting your body heal!

Jen Feeny said...

I concur, rest AND make an appointment. Don't mess around with this, we want you out there running! I hope things get better soon girl, I know all to well how much it sucks when you're sidelined! xoxo

Anonymous said...

im debating the same thing myself.
yesterday was the first time i ran after my race on sunday and knee pain hit beforethe end of the 1st mile. ouch,. i had to turn around and walk home.

ugh. hate injuries.

take some days off and rest and if it still hurts then go see someone (and yes,i will try to follow my own advice)

Marlene said...

It definitely SUCKS to taked forced days off, but it will be better in the long run. Listen to your body and give yourself the break you need. Can't hurt to try to make an appt in the meantime, and hopefully your coach can help you work through this too.

Injuries/pain SUCK!

Amber said...

Rest AND make an appointment sounds like the best bet. Better safe then sorry. Also do you have a foam roller? I would roll out your legs a couple of times a day + ice your knee!

teacherwoman said...

As hard as it is, I would say REST first. You can make an appointment at the same time, and I am sure by the time your appointment nears, you will know if you still need to go in or not. That would be my plan.

No Longer Using said...

my vote is do both!!!!

and happy october!!!! love the orange :)

Nicole said...

agree!

hang in there sweets!

happy October!

Amy said...

Ouch! That sucks! If you think it will be a long wait for an appointment, make it now, keep resting and then try out the knee again in a week. You can always cancel the appointment if all is well.

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

If you fear that something is wrong seeing the doctor is the best thing you can do. If anything else he/she can give you tips to keep your knees in top form.

HUGS!

Ice and pain reliever, that works for me. We put many many miles on our bodies through sports, later in life that comes back to haunt us in the form of PAIN!!

Molly said...

I agree with everyone else, you should definitely rest, do nothing but rest (I know it's hard) and also make an appointment. You don't want to push it and make things worse than they are. I'm sure you can find something to fill the non running hours...like wedding planning! : )

Aron said...

definitely make the appt - hopefully they can give you some good advice and tell you where to go from here. then at least you know. rest until then, no point in making it worse. hang in there girlie <3

Unknown said...

I hope your knee feels better soon. It's so frustrating to be stopped running or training but you're better off resting for a short time than making it worse and being forced off for a longer time so it's good to rest!

Christine said...

Oh no, that doesn't sound good... I think you should make an appointment and rest in the meantime. You don't want it to get worse. I hope you feel better soon!

Jamie said...

make the appointment and RICE. that way when you get in you may be better but you can talk with the doctor to see how to avoid it again.

Glenn Jones said...

I'm watching intently becuase I'm going through the same thing right now. I can't run more than one day in a row without knee pain and tenderness....

Lisa's Yarns said...

I would recommend going to the doctor just so you can have some peace of mind and know what is causing it. I went to a sports medicine clinic in Feb when I was having trouble w/ my knee. I did some PT and haven't had trouble since!

Happy Feet 26.2 said...

So sorry about the injury. I would try to take some time off. I know that is so hard, and NOT what you want to hear. I would make the appt., but take time off. The doc is going to tell you to take time off too & you can do that for free.

I would definitely stay off the track. The curves are hard on the knee if you have an injury. Just my opinion.

Hope you get relief soon and can get back to running. Let us know!

chris mcpeake said...

injuries really suck. rest and if need be see a doctor. better to take a little down time now then a lot later

Anonymous said...

I'm with the crowd- make the appointment. If you have to, you can cancel later. I am good example of what NOT to do- don't let it get too bad to the point you make it worse. Hope it feels better soon!

Jeri said...

I HATE going to the doctor. :( With my knee issue, I ended up getting new shoes to help eliminate the heavy heel striking I was doing, which lessened the impact on my poor IT bands. This has helped with my knee pain IMMENSELY. I'm still wearing my silly knee strap to be on the safe side, but I think I'll be able to ditch it soon.