Fellow Runners, Athletes, and anyone else who wants to comment,
Here I am, seeking some advice.
again.
My problem?
Still my knee.
Here's the scoop. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about it giving me problems. To be more specific, the pain pops up on the inside of my left knee. It's like a sore, achey, feeling. It fires up more when I'm running downhill or walking down lots of stairs. I have a suspicion it may be a mild case of "Runners Knee." Which, of course, I have been googling and researching. It is not something that is really painful, it currently is just more annoying than anything.
The biggest problem?
I have a 10k race on Saturday.
What Have I Been Doing this Week?
Well, I took a week off running for Girls Camp. The first day and a half my knee was a bit sore hiking around and doing all the camp set up stuff. Then it completely went away. Monday after camp (a week ago), I ran 3.38 miles at a 10.6 minute mile. Really frustrating that I slowed down my mile by a full minute, but I knew I needed to take things down a notch. I logged about 13 miles last week with about a 10 minute mile average, which is 30 seconds/mile slower and 4 miles less than my past average for the previous two weeks. I have been massaging, stretching, cross training, running slower, running shorter, and biofreez-ing my calf and hammy. I plan on getting a gait assessment sometime this week or next to find out if I'm in the wrong pair of shoes.
Also this week I did more cross training. I focused on abs, arms, and a little bit of legs. Sunday night my left hamstring and calf were completely knotted up. I had my hubby adjust me and do some muscle work, again, then I iced my calf. This morning I did a full body strength training program for 30 minutes, including squats. I took my dog on a walk around the cul-de-sac and my knee was sore.
Why Am I Worried?
I have the race on Saturday. I have no idea how to train for it this week. I have no idea how hard I should push myself running. I have no idea how many miles I should log or how many times I should run before Saturday. I'm worried because I don't want to worsen my knee. The worry is keeping me from wanting to run in the morning, which is bad because I need to run, and I enjoy it! But I'm scared. So not fun.
I know I will be able to finish the race. It's not terribly long and I'm confident I can run 6.2 miles. However, I think I might be disappointed with my time. I'm also just concerned about preventing further, worse, injury that will keep me from a good training schedule for my 1/2 marathon in September.
So, any suggestions? Any tips? Any advice? The biggest question I have is: how is the best way to train the week before a race when you're fighting against a knee injury?
I can tell you what I don't recommend. I ran Ragnar in May and I was hurting pretty bad before the race (shins, knees, feet). So I took some ibuprofen before each of my three legs I had to run to "ease" the pain. Well, I ran hard and hit all my goals and then the morning after the race was done, after all the medicine had worn off, I realized how bad I was hurting. I had done a lot more damage to myself because I pushed myself and was hurting myself more without realizing because the Ibuprofen numbed the pain. So don't do that haha. I was out after that for almost a month. Then I started barefoot running and it fixed everything...haha but i won't get in to that here ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your knee pain! That has got to be mega frustrating. I hope you're able to complete your race without increasing the problem.
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in minimalist running shoes, aka barefoot running. I think I have a weird gait because of the surgery I had on both feet as a teenager. I feel like each foot needs a different shoe because they each move differently when I run! If you research any more about it, or have any experiences in the future, do share...
Along with Tyson's comment don't ice too much. I did that and ended up loosening up stuff and tearing my ACL. I like to alternate between as cold as I can stand and as hot as I can stand. Make sure you warm up your body especially the knees beforehand and when you're running don't strike with your heels, concentrate your initial impact to your soles and toes. Good luck!
ReplyDeletei would say take it really easy this week. like you said you know you can run the distance -- so i think you can cut your mileage way down. it's much better to prevent further injury than to push it and derail your half-marathon training because you're hurt. have you talked to davina or rachel? they are both big runners and might have some advice for you. my goal for saturday is just to finish the race. i've been having some shin and knee issues (interrupted by a hospital trip for jane) and i haven't really been able to work up my mileage like i wanted to. i'm resigning myself to the fact that i'm sure i'll be walking for parts of the 10K this weekend. :(
ReplyDeletep.s. where are you going to get your running assessed?
Personally, I wouldn't do much if any running this week. Ride a bike or walk but if you know you can go the distance, let it heal. Too much, too fast darling...gotta slow down your quest to be the best. Love ya and am proud of you. Just know that finishing the race is a great place to start.
ReplyDeleteDad
I'm not a runner...at all. I'll tell you that out right. But when I do get injured and can't run I work on my elliptical. It isn't nearly as taxing as running so in order to do the same amount of cardio you have to go longer on the elliptical. The nice thing, no impact so it should be good for you knee. Good luck on your race this weekend!
ReplyDeleteWow, look at all that great advice! You have some great friends! My thought was, how EASY would it be if you were just in the wrong shoes!? What a great, easy (somewhat expensive but FAST) fix! :o) Here's hoping it's something simple and easily fixable! Good luck, girl!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Alaina. I had issues with my knees when I would run uphill and downhill especially. Once I went to a running store and had the owner help me find the right shoes? Problem solved. Same thing happened for my father-in-law and Andrew. Shoes are TOTALLY a big deal!
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I got my Costco magazine today and there was a big ad for MegaRed joint care supplement. It's krill oil. Omega 3's are great for your joints and more. Maybe something to look into?
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