Friday, June 26, 2009

Knee update


After having completely rested for 4-5 days, much ice, ibuprofen, lots of Tex-Mex, and a few margaritas I took the ole princess (my right knee) out for a spin around the block to see how she did. I over-geared up trying to give it as much support as possible: extra thick thorlo socks, zensah compression sleeves, patella stability band. My runner nerdness was ready to go. My goal was an easy, 3 miles. No records here, just nice and easy does it. I took it slow and played with my pace and stride some to try and find the most comfortable spot for my knee. I finished in 30:33, decent considering. The run was relatively pain-free, but I could tell that the knee is still a little weak. And it's already starting to swell some (that's why it's puffy in the picture). So, I'm slapping some ice on it. I don't think it's quite ready for the long run or any races just yet, but it's progress. I'll keep the runs short and easy over this next week and try to just ease back into things. There's a local 4 on the 4th race that I really want to do next week. Hmmm....may just rest, rest, rest and have a fun race.

Today I LOVE: iced coffee on a hot day.

11 comments:

Michelle said...

Great run for taking it easy!

Take care of your knee!!!

Have a great weekend!!! Enjoy some iced coffee!

Marky Mark said...

Glad you were able to get out there and keep it easy--I also a knee coped and it took a long time before it felt normal again...meanwhile I was shown a non-impact treadmill the other day. I hate treadmills but will definitely check it out.

Melissa said...

I would kill for your 'slow' pace!! :)

Yay for rest!! Sometimes it's just what the body needs!!!

Marlene said...

Look at all that gear! Your knee IS a little princess. Soooo high maintenance. :p

Glad to hear the 3-miler went okay. Here's hoping for continued improvement.

Maryland Girl aka Michelle said...

Rest and margaritas sound like a GREAT idea!

Hungry Little Runner said...

I'm so proud of you...listening to your body & being so cautious! Thata girl! You will be back to kicking my slow booty in no time at all!

Anonymous said...

Ha "my runner nerdness" - hey, whatever it takes to keep that knee happy!!

jenna is awkward said...

mexican and margarita's really are the cure to all of life's problems...and I love the line "my runner nerdness"

PunkRockRunner said...

Glad to hear you're back to running. Be sure to listen to your body and don't push too hard.

Great blog too!

Anonymous said...

As someone who's spent more than a month babying her obnoxiously stubborn hip, I couldn't agree more with the previous commenters -- and couldn't sympathize more with your desire to plan your next race while your knee's still swollen! Take it as easily as you can possible stand to, and hope it feels better soon!

Matt (No Meat Athlete) said...

Definitely take it easy if you do that race. It's so easy to get caught up in the rush of it and just go all out and not notice you're doing yourself harm. But you know this.

I'm interested in the zensah leg sleeve. Does this do the same thing as the recovery socks, or is it more specifically for use during runs than afterward? Is it for injury prevention, improved performance, or both?