Friday, October 10, 2008
Marathon Training! Week 20
So here’s my overly-obvious fact of the week: knees are really important for running.
My knees have been a little sore on my last few runs. The pain wasn’t that bad, yet I knew that things weren’t quite right. I tried to take it easy on my runs, running slower and less often than I usually do.
This morning I woke up early for my long run, but I knew that the 18 miles I was hoping for was probably a long shot. Within the first few minutes of running, I felt the knee pain again. I took it really slow, and I ended up running 4 miles at my slowest pace yet.
I made it back home, ready to drink some water and figure out my next move. I wanted to keep going, but I knew it probably wasn’t the best thing for my knees.
Thankfully, the voice of reason (disguised as Husband) intervened. I asked for his advice, and he said I should definitely take a break from running. He said something clever about pain being the body’s way of saying “stop!” (Or, in the case of my knees, “stop running, you crazy marathon trainee! You’re making us miserable!”)
This was actually the scenario that I worried about yesterday. I worried what would happen if I couldn’t finish the 18 miles.
But, I am surprisingly calm about everything today. I’ve accepted that I can’t wave a magic wand to make my knees better. (But, if you do happen to have such a wand, please let me know, so I can borrow it.) All I can do is to relax my knees and hope and pray.
I’m realizing now that my trip with my mom is actually happening at a perfect time. That will force me to not run for a couple weeks, which is probably just what I need to heal.
I have no idea where this will leave me with the marathon itself. I just keep reminding myself of the goal that I made when I signed up for this: My goal was to complete the marathon (not in any specific time), but only if it wouldn’t do any physical damage to my body.
I’m hopeful that things will all work out. And I guess I just have a much better excuse for eating good food and relaxing with my mom on our trip – it’s all for the sake of my knees!
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6 comments:
Hopefully a little R&R is just what you need! I bet you'll come back better than ever!
Taking a break is a good thing...when my foot was bothering me I didn't want to stop completely but I did very little running and I can definitely tell it has gotten better. Sounds like your hubby is a smart man!
Hope you have a nice trip and get some relaxation.
~K
Kudos to you for marathon training! It must take enormous discipline. I walk 2 miles/day, and tried jogging, but prefer walking. Enjoy your visit with your mom!
Time will tell and I love what you said about just finishing the marathon. I think that is a healthy goal! Enjoy the time off and don't let it eat at you!
I agree that taking a break is probably a good thing. You can always find an indoor pool or do something else that's light on the knees to keep your momentum going. Or...you could just enjoy the trip with your mom and see how you feel ;)
Good for you tackling a marathon. I have no running aspirations beyond doing 5ks but I see what you mean about knees bothering you. It seems any time I start running more regularly (like more than 2-3 times a week), injuries pop up like knees or shin splints or odd foot pains. Then I have to back off for a bit. Sounds like some R&R is just the thing that will help your knees heal up.
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