Just reading some HP before dinner…
CELESTE GIVES UP
Forty pounds.Feeling sorry for myself.
Eating crap.
Being lazy.
I'm Celeste, a magazine editor living in Phoenix.
Get ready for a lot of fitness, a lot of sass and a lot of froyo.
Pes anserine bursitis?
The pain is typically produced when the knee is bent and is particularly troublesome at night. People often seek comfort by sleeping with a pillow between their thighs.
Um, yep. Every morning I wake up with knee pain that hurts to the touch. Lunges are a no-go. Tonight at the play, the chair was at an awkward angle, and I started having some extreme discomfort that’s still bugging me.
Looks like I’ll be eating ibuprofen and loving on the body pillow.
9/14-16 Log + Training Thoughts
This week is my third five-run week. It’s interesting because both my running partner and I experienced significantly more discomfort (mostly knees, but my hips too) once we upped it to five runs a week.
To be clear though, we’ve run mileage very similar to what we’re running now. These next two weeks will be the most voluminous, but the past two months have been consistently between 20-25 miles every week.
So why the pain?
Our long runs aren’t getting any longer. I did 10 miles about two months ago, and have run either 8 or 9 miles every Sunday since then.
Our weekly mileage is consistent.
But we’re running more days per week. I really feel like that’s the only thing that’s changed. We went from running three days a week (early on), to four, and now most weeks have five runs. Granted, the “daily” runs are shorter — three or four miles — but maybe our bodies just need that extra “rest” day (or cross-training day).
In any case, I’ve kept things pretty easy this week to try and let me knees rest. What a bummer, considering I was really hoping to build confidence in these next three weeks. Instead, I’m in pain and not running fast. Again.
Wednesday, Sept. 14
- 3 miles easy (a lot of knee pain)
Thursday, Sept. 15
- 3 miles easy (less knee pain)
Friday, Sept. 16
- 6 miles, 4 at tempo: goal 8:54, actual 8:52, 8:45, 8:32, 7:50 (some knee discomfort toward the end)
In the future, I feel like I’d rather have three or four quality runs … compared to five runs—three of which are measly 3-milers.
Can anyone shed some insight on this?
6.5 miles done
No knee pain!!
Thank. God.
Paging Nurse Kilduff
It’s official: My knee hurts all the time.
Even though I took it really easy last week (19 miles run, hardly any cross training), the discomfort has increased every day. Even on total rest days.
I foam rolled yesterday, and the medial side of my left knee was incredibly tight and tender. I hadn’t rolled for a week, and I’m hoping that’s why I’ve been in pain. Wishful thinking, though.
I really don’t want to be continually nursing an injury. I’ve gotten hurt all three times I’ve tried running about three months into training.
In 2007 (running attempt No. 1), I faced knee issues. The orthopedic surgeon told me, “Some people just aren’t meant to run.”
Usually I would fight that statement to the death, but lately I can’t help but believe him.
7/21-24 log
Well, today’s run was sub par. At best.
On Thursday, I did the spin bike, and my knee felt a little funky. Yesterday I ran 6 miles, and while the didn’t really hurt during the run, they were tender after. In today’s run, they were uncomfortable. And now, 14 hours after running, they still hurt.
Ugh. I’ve really been taking it easy this week, so I thought I would be in the clear.
Sunday, July 24 exercise:
- Run: 7 miles easy
Saturday, July 23:
- Run: 6 miles
Friday, July 22:
- Nada!
Thursday, July 21:
- Gym: 18 miles spin bike, 2 miles incline walk
My speed’s comeback
Lately, I’ve been concentrating a lot on volume and not on speed. There have been too many easy miles.
Time for that to change. I can’t wait to push myself again.
(Assuming my knees cooperate, of course…)
Three miles
No knee discomfort!
Stokeddddd.
6/29 log
I’m running tomorrow! Today included some intensely painful/beneficial foam rolling. Brandon gave me the clear to try two or three miles tomorrow morning to see how my knees feel. Let’s cross our fingers…
Wednesday, June 29 exercise:
- Gym: 4 miles incline treadmill walk (9%)
- Training: stretching and foam rolling around my knees
- Home: 75 push ups, 75 triceps chair dips
OK, so I can do weird things with my joints.
Apparently, my ligaments are too long for my body, so I can bend in odd ways. It’s most obvious in my arms and shoulders, but my hips, knees and ankles are also abnormally flexible.
This spells trouble for running, generally…
Here’s the consensus on my knees:
After doing some stability testing, the left one experienced pain in the front on the inside, while the right one mostly hurt behind the kneecap. My left leg, in general, is weaker. Consequently, Brandon thinks that my right leg is hyperextending to pick up slack from the left one. We’re going to work on some quad/hamstring strength to stabilize my knees and help to balance them out.
Brandon kept telling me to not get discouraged and that these imbalances always come through as athletes up their volume. This is the third time I’ve tried to get into running, and I experienced injuries at this point in training the past two times (first knees, then hips). I really want and need to work through this so I can continue running and progress. Unfortunately the issue with my joints’ hypermobility will never go away. I just have to learn to keep my body balanced and try to work around it as much as possible.
6/28 log
I give today a B. It could’ve been better, but I can’t complain.
Highs:
- Watching the women’s World Cup on the treadmill
- Brandon being optimistic about my knees and saying I can still run
- Having sushi with Sarah at Sushi 101 (frugal flashback from ASU days!)
- Eating delicious food but staying within my calories goal
Lows:
- Skipping my weekly Tuesday run :(
- Spending the majority of my day in teacher professional development
- Going through a painful battery of knee stability tests at training
- Realizing that my knees feel worse than I thought and are very imbalanced
Tuesday, June 28 exercise log:
- Gym: 3 miles incline treadmill walk (5%)
- Training: a bunch of knee stability exercises
