I am afraid I have some bad news....I think I may have injured myself, again. Just when everything was going well, I knew it couldn't last forever...But let's not jinx the situation too early!!!
Ok, so here's the story: Today was a beautiful day in Boston. Weather was around 50 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for a run around the Charles River. So I headed out around noon and did just that.
My first mile wasn't too good because I was a little tired (and hungover), but I quickly got out of it and my next three miles were 8:20 minutes/mile and lower!!! Things were just great; I started feeling great, my body felt good and my headache went away. I was admiring the beautiful scenery that is Boston and cursing myself for, again, not bringing a camera. And that is when it hit!
Around 4.5 miles I felt a sharp pain in the back of my knee (the knee that was injured a year and half ago). I immediately stopped to check out what was going on and noticed that it might be my knee brace just rubbing funny on the back of my knee. So, I removed it and did a few stretches and was on my way.
Not 2 seconds later the sharp pain came back again and again. Ahh....I stopped again and did some more stretches, messaged the area and shook out my legs. I tried running for about .3-.4 miles (just over the Mass Ave. bridge), but there was no luck, the pain just would not go away.
I knew (from previous experience) that if I continued to run on the knee it would result in a worse injury. So, I made a decision to walk the last mile home. It wasn't all bad, I still got to enjoy the nice weather outside. But I was REALLY angry and upset inside thinking a) my nice workout was ruined and b) I have to deal with another injury and so close to a race (next Sunday).
Once home I iced all areas of my knee and stretched. I took a shower and ate lunch and then iced just the back of my knee again for 10 minutes. I did a few more stretches and then just let my legs rest.
I can report now, 4 hours later, that I am still experiencing a sharp pain in the back of my knee; however it doesn't feel as severe. My plan is to "rest" my legs the 2 next days and reassess Tuesday. If I feel no pain on Tuesday while walking, I might try the treadmill at the gym; however if I feel ANY pain I will immediately get off and do the stairs or elliptical.
I am not sure what is up for next Sunday's race, but I will see how the week goes and how my legs are feeling. I am certainly not ruining my running season with a 5 mile race, even though I was really looking forward to it. But I am hopeful and think I might have just pulled something small and with rest and time it will heal...
What are your thoughts and/or suggestions in dealing with an unwanted leg pain/injury?
On a good note, I had a really fun night out with the girls last night. We went to a bar in Faneuil Hall to help raise money for three girls running the Boston marathon for the Boston Public Schools debate teams. It was a lot of fun, too much fun that I forgot to take pictures (sorry!!).
I will make sure to make it up to you by snapping some photos of Evan's and my meal in the North End tonight.... Be back with details (and pictures)!!!
How is your weekend going?
Oh no Lauren!!!! UGH...this is the one thing I really can't stand about running, it's soooo easy to injure yourself! Definitely take the next two days and rest. One question, do you ever do yoga? I've found that it's my secret weapon when it comes to preventing injury. I hope you get well soon and keep me posted xoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim! I have tried yoga, but only like one studio (Baron Baptiste Power yoga). The studio is kinda far from my house, so I don't go that often. Do you know any good studios in the Boston area?
ReplyDeleteEw. So sorry to hear about this. I'm not having very good luck right now either, and it seems like every year I've been getting injured. I'm seeing a doc tomorrow cause my left leg muscles have been freaking out for a couple weeks now. Glad you're taking a couple days off and icing and stretching. Don't push too hard, of course. Try to keep your spirits up, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa! I am sorry to hear that you are injured too. I hope your doctors visit goes well!!
ReplyDeleteOh no!!!! Ps: I was hungover too....
ReplyDeleteLauren, no! That's awful - I'd say heat it like crazy and see how that goes. That's my cure-all solution. Switching between indoor running and full-time outdoor running always scares me because of the way your body has to change with the surfaces.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I'll be sending TONS of good vibes your way.
p.s. I have done the hangover weekend run WAY too much in the past few months, but it really is curative, no?
Oh no! I'm so so sorry to hear this... hmm... well your game plan sounds really solid, just take some time off, ice like crazy, heat it up when you're resting, stretch/massage, etc! Hang in there!
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