I am one of those freaks who gets into something and then I just cannot stop. A sample of potato chips, pfft! Bring on the bag! I’ll eat the whole bunny and not just the ears. I will go back for the second piece of cake. I will over-extend myself with work and home life. I don’t know when to quit. When I started training for my half-marathon and the Zooma 10k I was the same way. It was all running, all the time.
Remember mile 9 in the half-marathon? Well, the same thing happened at mile 1.5 at Zooma in Annapolis. It wasn’t as bad as the half, but the knee pain was there in a grit your teeth, scream out loud, “REALLY?! ALREADY?! COME ON!!” way that made other runners startle. It was obvious there was something wrong with my knee and two weeks off of running didn’t going solve it. During the race I had to walk, change my stance and pace a few times and just grin and bear the pain. The wet grass hill that is the last part of the Zooma run is awful and I picked my way through it so as not to cause further injury. That really slowed me down and made me angry.
Turns out it is the dreaded but typical IT-Band that is causing the knee pain. Icing, rest, real recovery, wearing one of those black straps above my knee and doing lots of stretching and strengthening are required. I also took AlphaMom‘s advice and bought an IT-band roller. Oh, what fun that thing is! So this whole running thing that I can’t stopped doing?
I have to stop doing.
I promised H no summer races and I’m taking about six weeks off. It’s been hard. I’ve had to find other activities to keep me active but also stretch and strengthen my whole lower body. I have returned to Pilates after eons of being away. Yesterday I went back to Body Pump and my arms are useless today. I would rather it be my legs but maybe that is next week. I’m going to check out the Metabolic Effect class (ME) and a core class to really up my game.
See that last bit? “Up my game?!” Why? Why can’t I just stop and say, “You know some nice walking will do for now.” Why does the idea of hiking the PCT (I might have just found my first bucket list item) for days on end sound like a real kick-ass, physically challenging fun time? It’s like I have hit my mid-thirties and all I want to do is push my body and see what it can really do for me before I need to start being extra nice to it and taking it to Forever Fit classes. I have what, forty more years of this left in me? Heh.
I’m sure I’ll find my way back to running. After all, the Fall races are already calling to me.
Don’t push your knee to far. You know how much crap I’ve gone thru with mine and you don’t want to go down that road.
You’ll find your way back. 🙂 I thought my running career was over last fall. I’ve had to become a more “moderate” runner to ward off injury, but that’s probably best for my body, anyway, as I get older. (I hate even saying that.) Plus, this break allows you to work your muscles in new ways – yoga, pilates, BP. You’re such an exercise junkie. 😉
I read this post and laughed… because I feel like I’m the same way. First it was the walks … I can walk 40 miles…I can walk two 40 mile events… then the running. I’m already talking about a half in 2013 (and if you’d asked me about that 6 months ago, I would have laughed at you). Because of the Under Armour challenge, I’d done kick boxing (and love it), rock climbing (eh), and water skiing (don’t love it, but I’m going to ride the water for more than a few seconds by the end of this summer!) and I’ve got Stand Up Paddle Board on my list. I don’t think it’s an age thing – it’s you… it’s why we love you.