A Run, a Knee & Me

So this happened on Friday.

Okay, let me get this out of the way first - it was a terrible idea. I was chastised by at least 3 friends, including a very long text from my boyfriend's sister telling me to take care of my "poor knee and baby tendons." And of course she's right. I haven't done my PT since October, and it is very stupid to think that after 3 months of inactivity my knee would have magically healed.

But OMIGOD it felt so good! I've had running on the brain lately and I haven't been able to shake it. I have a coworker training for a half marathon and TONS of friends running 5Ks every weekend, not to mention the bloggers I follow who run 30, 40, 50 miles a week. So I got this idea in my head on my drive home Friday. First, I thought I'd just take Johnny for a long walk. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and he's been in need of serious exercise (I don't know if I say this enough, but I'm a terrible mom!). Somehow that thought of a walk evolved into a walk/run. I don't know what possessed me, but I thought it would be a-okay to do a super easy work out that still involved running, as if I were starting from square one. Of course I'm not starting from square one, but I've already addressed that (see above).

I got my iPhone ready, put on some workout clothes, grabbed my knee brace and we were out the door. We went for a normal walk first, so Johnny wouldn't need to stop once we were on our way. Then we did a 5 minute warm-up of speed walking. Then the intervals started. My knee felt a little tweaky (is that a word?) for the first running interval, but then it was mostly fine. Towards the end we skipped a running interval up a very steep hill (I'll admit here that my knee was starting to feel sore). Once we hit flat pavement and another running interval we just kept going. We ran about 7 minutes straight at the end. It felt incredible. I can't wait to do it again. ...In 6 weeks or so.

That night, I was hanging out with friends and my knee was just not having it. Walking, standing up from a seated position, staying in any position for too long - pain. Not horrible intense pain, but pain nonetheless. I also woke up in the middle of the night at least once from pain. My knee wasn't actually very sore on Saturday, and today, the pain is completely gone. I won't be running again any time soon though, contrary to my Daily Mile summary.

I'm glad I ran, even though I shouldn't have. Not only did it feel great, it also really drove home how much I love and miss running. It reenergized me. When I started PT in October, I hadn't run since June. I allowed myself to make excuses because I didn't realize or remember what I missing. Now I know, and I'm kicking myself for not taking care of it sooner. I won't run again until a professional tells me it's safe, but I aim to make that happen as quickly as possible (insurance don't let me down!).

So today's plan is my HEP and a bike ride. I don't get nearly the satisfaction after a completed bike ride than a run, but it'll do. I'll be back tomorrow with some more self-chastising and thoughts on WW and Chipotle (these three things are all coincidentally related).